Artist: Simon da Pesero, another name Simone Cantarini (Italy, 1612-1648), painter and etcher; born in Pesaro. A leading pupil of Guido Reni; after falling out with him left Bologna.
Engraver: Giuseppe Zocchi (Italy, 1717 (or 1711?)-1767), draughtsman, and etcher in Florence.
Title: A woman helping Europa to climb on the bull. The Latin poet Ovid, tells a tale of the god Jupiter, who fell in love with Europa. Jupiter, by disguising himself as a bull, succeeded in persuading Europa to climb upon his back and carried her off to the island of Crete.
Signed, Numbered, Titled, and Dated: Simon da Pesero del: Gius. Zocchi sc. From an Original Drawing in the Collection of John Barnard Esqr. (Son of City financier and politician Sir John Barnard whose fortune he inherited and spent on amassing an immensely important collection of drawings and prints).
Dimensions: 8 3/4" x 10 7/8".
Publisher: John Boydell (British, 1719-1804), the leading London print publisher; his international trade did much to establish British painting on a European basis. 1782 onwards, Alderman; 1790-1, Lord Mayor of London.
Date: 1764.
Materials and Techniques: etching on wove paper.
Provenance: The Estate of George "Yorgo" Demetrakopoulos; professor, assistant director of the Medieval Institute, and assistant to the dean at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 1965-2000.
Condition: Trimmed to image and lettering. Restored broken corners. Signs of aging are appropriate for the time. A detailed condition report is available on demand.
Museums and Libraries: The British Museum 1989,1209.21.136.
Art Movements, Periods & Schools: British School XVIII C. Italian School XVII. Italian Schoool XVIII C.
Note: This entry incorporates text from Wikipedia and the catalog entry of the same item from the British Museum collection.