Listesso
Medium
etching
Dimensions
95; 130
About this artwork
height 95 mm x width 130 mm
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Mercati’s 1629 etching *Listesso* offers a glimpse into the lively print culture of Baroque Italy. Working primarily in Rome during a period of artistic renewal, Mercati specialized in etchings that translated paintings and frescoes into portable formats. His small-scale works helped spread contemporary compositions beyond palace walls to collectors and scholars across Europe. Etching proved especially suited to Mercati’s era, allowing delicate lines and subtle tonal effects on copper plates that could be printed in multiple impressions. At just 95 by 130 millimeters, *Liste...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Mercati · 1591–1645
Giovanni Battista Mercati (1591–1645) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver whose career exemplified the vibrant artistic culture of 17th-century Italy, particularly in Rome and his native Tuscany. Baptized on October 1, 1591, in Borgo San Sepolcro (Sansepolcro), Tuscany, Mercati moved to Rome to pursue greater opportunities in the papal capital, where he became a member of the prestigious A...