Lagrime (Tears)

1894

Giuseppe Mentessi

Associated Names
Giuseppe Mentessi

Artist, Italian, 1857 - 1931

This is a drawing of an architectural scene featuring stairs and a carved figure. It is rendered in a dark, monochromatic palette. The image shows an ascending staircase leading to an intricately designed building facade adorned with architectural elements, and a carved figure or statue atop the structure. The foreground is filled with dense shadowing, emphasizing the textures of the stone steps and walls. The composition leads the eye upwards, towards a lighter sky background. The interplay of light and shadow in the sketch adds tension to the scene, evoking a sense of intrigue and timelessness.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching [proof] with monotype wiping on Chinese paper mounted on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 27 × 28.9 cm (10 5/8 × 11 3/8 in.)
    sheet (both Chinese paper and wove paper mount): 32.4 × 33.1 cm (12 3/4 × 13 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2018.171.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Mezzetti 1935, no. 359

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Matteo Crespi, La Mandragola, Milan); purchased 2018 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1935

  • Mezzetti, Amalia.L'acquaforte lombarda nella seconda metà dell'800. Milan, 1935: no. 359

Inscriptions

recto: in image at lower right in plate tone: G Mentessi (in reverse); below image at center in black ink: LAGRIME; verso: none

Markings

none

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