Plate 12: Bertoldino whipping himself to kill flies, from "Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno"

Art Historical Context

In the early 18th century, Maria Crespi, a Bolognese Baroque artist, captured the whimsical chaos of Italian folk humor in his etching series *Bertoldo, Bertoldino, Cacasenno*. 12 depicts the hapless Bertoldino whipping himself in a frantic bid to swat flies—a hilarious mishap drawn from the popular 17th-century comic tales by Giulio Cesare Croce. These stories, blending slapstick with social satire, poked fun at peasant life and human folly, resonating across Europe as affordable printed entertainment. Crespi's etching masterfully renders the scene's dynamic energy through intricate line work, a technique that allowed for expressive shading and texture on a modest trimmed sheet of 9 1/16 × 5 13/16 inches. As part of the Bolognese tradition, his genre prints bridged painting and popular illustration, making high art accessible. This piece, now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection (acquired 1953), highlights etching's role in disseminating humor and caricature during the Rococo era's rise. Visitors will delight in Bertoldino's self-inflicted frenzy, a timeless nod to our shared absurdities!

About the Artist

Giuseppe Maria Crespi · 1665–1747

Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1665–1747) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque period whose innovative genre scenes and unorthodox approach to religious painting made him one of the most original artists of early eighteenth-century Bologna. Born in Bologna, he trained under Domenico Maria Canuti, Carlo Cignani, and in the tradition of the Carracci academy, but developed a markedly personal style tha...