Medium
aquatint and etching in brown and gray
Dimensions
mount: 48.7 × 25.2 cm (19 3/16 × 9 15/16 in.) sheet (trimmed within platemark): 37.3 × 33.5 cm (14 11/16 × 13 3/16 in.)
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1948.11.281
Art Historical Context
Behold *Venus*, a captivating 1781 aquatint and etching by German printmaker Johann Gottlieb Prestel faithfully reproducing a composition by the Italian Mannerist master Jacopo Ligozzi.ed in subtle brown and gray tones, this print depicts the goddess of love in a poised, ethereal form, evoking the Renaissance fascination with classical mythology. Ligozzi, active in late 16th- and early 17th-century Florence was renowned for his intricate drawings blending naturalism with fantastical elements, and Prestel's interpretation revives this elegance for 18th-century audiences. Prestel's mastery shin...