Frontispice from Nella Venuta
Medium
Etching in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 12.5 × 8.2 cm (4 15/16 × 3 1/4 in.); Plate: 13.6 × 9.1 cm (5 3/8 × 3 5/8 in.); Sheet: 16.1 × 10.7 cm (6 3/8 × 4 1/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
207730
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
**Frontispiece from *Nella Venuta*** Created in 1764 by Austrian printmaker Franz Edmund Weirotter (3–1771), this delicate etching served as the frontispiece for *Nella Venuta*, an illustrated publication likely evoking arrival or arrival scenes in the spirit of 18th-century traditions. Measuring just 12.5 × 8.2 cm, the image on ivory laid paper captures the intimacy of book art, where such frontispieces introduced readers to a work's themes with elegant visual flair. Weirotter, trained in Vienna and influenced by masters like Rembrandt, excelled in etching—a technique where acid etches designs into a plate, allowing for fine lines and tonal depth unachievable in other prints. black-ink impression exemplifies mid-18th-century printmaking's role in democratizing art, as affordable etchings spread sophisticated imagery across Europe amid the Rococo era's ornamental grace. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, it highlights how frontispieces bridged text and image, enhancing cultural narratives. A testament to Weirotter's precision, it invites visitors to appreciate the era's fusion of craftsmanship and storytelling in miniature form.
About the Artist
Franz Edmund Weirotter · 1730–1771
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