Plate 20: Cacasenno eating a bowl of pasta, from "Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno"

Art Historical Context

Step into the whimsical world of early 18th-century Italian humor with *Plate 20: Cacasenno eating a bowl pasta*, an etching by Giuseppe Maria Cres (1665–1747). This print is part of a celebrated series illustrating *Bertoldo, Bertino, and Cacasenno*, a satirical tale bumbling peasants and their misadventures, drawing from popular Italian folklore. Crespi, leading Bolognese artist influenced by Caravaggio's dramatic realism, captured everyday life with lively genre scenes, blending humor and humanity in his works. In this trimmed sheet (8 7/8 × 5 7/8 in.), we see the dim-witted Cacasenno gleefully devouring a steaming bowl of pasta—a nod to Italy's enduring culinary traditions. Crespi's etching technique shines here: the acid-bitten lines create rich textures, from the pasta's twirls to the boy's rapt expression, making the intimate scene burst with energy and detail. Produced between 1705 and 1715, these prints democratized art, allowing wider audiences to enjoy Crespi's masterful storytelling beyond oil paintings. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1953), this piece highlights the cultural joy of food and folly, reminding us how art can savor the simple, silly moments of life.

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...