Italy, late 15th-early 16th Century / c. 1508–9
Venus Reclining in a Landscape
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Venus Reclining in a Landscape as print (Italy, late 15th-early 16th Century · c. 1508–9).
This artist's training as a gem cutter prepared him well for the relatively new art of engraving, which required carving into a copperplate with a sharp instrument called a burin.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this print as engraving and credits Giulio Campagnola (Italian, 1482–1515).
The museum's collection notes: The Venetian artist Giulio Campagnola introduced the "dot manner," an engraving technique by which shading is created with dots and flicks produced with the point of the burin. This innovation allowed for a much greater range of tone and subtler gradations from dark to light. The effect imitated sfumato, a painting technique for creating soft atmospheric effects practiced by Venetian artists, such as Giorgione, at the time. The influence of and perhaps even the engraver’s collaboration with Giorgione is reflected in the extraordinary beauty and refinement of this rare early impression of Venus Reclining in a Landscape . The female nude reclin
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtVenus Reclining in a LandscapeOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.