Sigismonda
published June 4, 1795
Medium
Engraving in black on tan wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 32.8 × 41.6 cm (12 15/16 × 16 7/16 in.); Plate: 40.7 × 44.6 cm (16 1/16 × 17 9/16 in.); Sheet: 47.4 × 62.9 cm (18 11/16 × 24 13/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
160035
Art Historical Context
**Sigismonda** is a striking engraving by Benjamin Smith, a prominent British printmaker active in the late 18th century. on June 4, 1795, this work exemplifies the era's booming print culture, when engravings served as affordable reproductions of paintings, spreading artistic ideas across Europe. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings Department, it measures an impressive image size of 328 × 41.6 cm on tan wove—a relatively new, smooth substrate that allowed for finer details compared to traditional laid paper. Smith's mastery of engraving shines through in the intricate bl...