print
- Museum number
- 1999,0131.29.1
- Title
- Series: Story of Romulus and Remus
- Description
-
Plate 1: the wolf suckling the babies Romulus and Remus. 1659
Etching and engraving
- Production date
- 1659
- Dimensions
-
Height: 457 millimetres
-
Width: 455 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- The first plate of a complete suite of 14 etched plates after the cycle on Romulus and Remus painted by the Carracci family in the Palazzo Magnani, Bologna (1999,0131.29.1 to 14). Plates I-VII of this suite were etched by Jean Lepautre and Jean Boulanger after the intermediary drawings of Tortebat after the Carracci. Plates VIII-XIV were etched by Louis de Chatillon. The series was made in two sets, each of which consists of a titlepage and six plates, but are numbered consecutively. Plate 1 is lettered 'Fran. Tortebat delin. et ex. cum privi.' and 'J.l.Po. et J.B.caelaverunt 1659'. Plate 8 is lettered 'Franciscus Tortebat delineavit & se vendent chez led. Tortebat Rue neuve Ste Catherine proche la place royale & Chez I.Leblond Rue Sainct Iacques a la cloche d'argent a paris'. The first part was published by Tortebat alone, the second jointly with Le Blond II (see Préaud in IFF). The attribution of the several frescoes to the three members of the Carracci family is much vexed, and for simplicity they are all described here as after Annibale. For the cycle, see Sergio Bettini (ed), 'Palazzo Magnani in Bologna', Milan 2009.
For a comment on the series, see Stephane Loire in 'Rencontres de l'École du Louvre, Simon Vouet', Paris 1972, pp.442-4. Tortebat's drawings were presumably made during his return from Rome, c.1640-2.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1999
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1999,0131.29.1
