The Incense Burner
c. 1520
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
30.2 × 15.2 cm (11 15/16 × 6 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
29039
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Marcantonio Raimondi engraved The Incense Burner when he was at the height of his skill and talent, as is evident in the naturalistic detail and overall beauty of the print. Raimondi’s engraving depicts a large incense burner supported by two women draped in classical garments. It is thought that the sculpture was meant for Francis I of France because of its use of his heraldic emblems—the salamander and fleur-de-lis—as decorations. The engraving’s design is based on a drawing by Raphael and rev...
About the Artist
Marcantonio Raimondi · 1475–1534
Marcantonio Raimondi (c. 1480–1534), born near Bologna, Italy, emerged as one of the Renaissance's premier engravers, revolutionizing printmaking through his mastery of reproductive techniques. He trained in the workshop of the goldsmith, painter, and niellist Francesco Francia, whose influence is evident in his early engravings, such as the goldsmith-like shading in *Pyramus and Thisbe* (1505), h...