Il Liceo della Pittura

c. 1638

Pietro Testa

Associated Names
Pietro Testa

Artist, Italian, 1612 - 1650

This is a drawing featuring a grand architectural and allegorical scene. The architectural backdrop includes classical arches and columns with ornate decorations and relief sculptures. In the foreground, groups of draped figures engage in various activities such as studying or discussing with scrolls and manuscripts. The composition is structured with a central focal point of a large statue or figure. Various elements suggest a theme of learning, art, or philosophy, indicated by inscriptions and symbols in the design. The image is characterized by intricate line work and fine details typical of classical or neoclassical art.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Bert Freidus Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 47.1 x 73.7 cm (18 9/16 x 29 in.)
    sheet: 48 x 73.7 cm (18 7/8 x 29 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2010.135.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Bartsch, no. 34, State i/iii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(A & D Martinez, Paris); purchased 2010 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1802

  • Bartsch, Adam. Le peintre graveur. 21 vols. Vienna, 1802-1821: Adam. Le peintre graveur. 21 vols. Vienna: J.V. Degen, 1802-1821: no. 34 i/iii

1988

  • Cropper, Elizabeth. Pietro Testa 1612 - 1650: Prints and Drawings. Philadelphia, 1988: no. 41, i/iii

Inscriptions

upper center in plate: INTELLIGENZA / ET / USO / IL / LICEO / DELLA / PITTURA; lower left in plate: La Teorica è per se stesso... / ... pregi di virtu; lower right in plate: Ill. mi R Sig Monsig Girolamo Bonvisi... / ... Humili Ser / Pietro Testa

Watermarks

soldier on an escutcheon

Wikidata ID

Q76557363

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