Allegory of the Foglia River with the city of Pesaro's coat of arms, frontispiece for 'Il Pesarese'
ca. 1639
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 1/2 × 3 9/16 in. (14 × 9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry Walters, 1917
Accession Number
17.37.216
Tags
Art Historical Context
Simone Cantarini, a 17th-century Italian Baroque artist from Pesaro, created this delicate etching around 1639 as the frontispiece for * Pesarese*, a publication likely celebrating his hometown. Known for his elegant drawings and prints influenced by masters like Guercino,arini masterfully personifies the Foglia River vital waterway near Pesaro—surrounded by playful putti (cherubic figures) and the city's heraldic coat of arms. This allegorical scene evokes local pride, blending mythology with civic symbolism in a compact sheet measuring just 5½ × 3⅜ inches. Etching, Cantarini's favored mediu...
About the Artist
Simone Cantarini · 1612–1648
He was one of the most eminent pupils of Guido Reni and one of the most gifted engravers in the tradition of the Carracci. He had a strong personality and developed a highly original style, which united aspects of Bolognese classicism with a bold naturalism. Comment on works: Religious