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Pope Gregory the Great and Saint Vitale Interceding for the Souls in Purgatory

Francesco Fontebasso, after Sebastiano Ricci

c. 1731

Pope Gregory the Great and Saint Vitale Interceding for the Souls in Purgatory by Francesco Fontebasso, after Sebastiano Ricci

Medium

etching on laid paper

Dimensions

plate: 45.2 × 31.6 cm (17 13/16 × 12 7/16 in.) sheet: 45.6 × 32.1 cm (17 15/16 × 12 5/8 in.)

Classification

Print

Department

CG-E

Museum

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Credit

Gift of Karin Wachtel in memory of her husband, Cesare Morini

Accession Number

2014.117.1

Art Historical Context

In the grand tradition of Venetian Baroque art, this striking etching captures a moment of divine intercession: *Pope Gregory the Great and Vitale Interceding for Souls in Purgatory*. around 1731 by Francesco Fonteasso after a composition by his mentor Sebastiano Ricci, it exemplifies the dramatic, emotive style of 18-century Venice. Fontebasso, a skilled printmaker, faithfully translates Ricci's lush painting into intricate lines, allowing the master's vision to reach a wider audience through the accessible medium of print. Etching on laid paper—a technique where acid etches fine, expressive...

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