93/150

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 240

Art Historical Context

Antonio Tempesta's *93/150* (1606) is a exquisite etching from one of the artist's most ambitious projects: a monumental series of 150 prints depicting scenes from the Life of Christ. Tempesta (1555–1630), a prolific Italian Mannerist artist based in Rome and Florence, mastered etching to produce detailed, dynamic narratives that brought biblical stories to a wide audience. This small plate (104 × mm) exemplifies his skill in capturing movement and emotion within intimate dimensions, making sacred history accessible for personal devotion or study. Etching, Tempesta's preferred medium here, involved drawing into a wax ground on a copper plate, then submerging it in acid to etch fine lines— a technique that allowed for intricate textures and tonal depth superior to earlier woodcuts. Printed in black ink on laid paper, this work bears the collector's mark Lugt 240, identifying it as once owned by William Esdaile (1758–1837), a discerning British connoisseur whose stamp enhances its provenance and historical allure. As part of early 17th-century printmaking's golden age, *93/150* reflects the Counter-Reformation's push for vivid religious imagery. Tempesta's series, blending Mannerist elegance with emerging Baroque energy, influenced generations of printmakers and remains a testament to art's role in spiritual education.

About the Artist

Antonio Tempesta · 1555–1630

Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), known as 'Il Tempestino,' was a Florentine painter and printmaker whose extraordinary output of approximately 1,700 etchings made him one of the most influential printmakers of the early Baroque period. Born in Florence and trained under Santi di Tito and the Flemish master Joannes Stradanus, he enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in 1576 before relocating to Rome i...