35. Antonio da Trento (ca. 1510-1550)
after Parmigianino

Saint Cecilia

(click on image to print)
da Trento, Saint Cecilia

Saint Cecilia

Chiaroscuro woodcut, 232 x 220 mm., Bartsch XII-85-37. A very good impression of this rare chiaroscuro on laid paper, trimmed just outside the oval borderline. The patroness of music here plays what appears to be a dulcimer, supported by angels. Exactitude of musical depiction is not what Parimigianino was known for, but the sheer verve of the figures and composition carries the day. The print occasionally turns up with its original rectangular printed area outside the oval, but most impressions are trimmed as here; a (theoretical) continuation of the borderline at the lower left is never seen.