Artist: Titian (Italian, 1489/90-1576), painter and designer for prints.
Engraver: Gilles Edme Petit (French, c.1694-1760), engraver and publisher, specialising in portraits and reproductions.
Title: Portrait of François I King of France.
Titled, Dated, and Signed in plate: Portrait de François 1er. d'après le tableau du Titien, qui est dans le Cabinet du Roy / Peint sur toile, haut de 3 pieds 4 pouces, large de 2 pieds 9 pouces gravé par Gilles Edme Petit
Dimensions: Platemark 11" x 8 1/4", Sheet 21 1/8" x 16".
Edition: Joseph Antoine de Crozat, Marquis de Tugny. Recueil d'Estampes d'après les plus beaux Tableaux et d'après les plus beaux Desseins qui sont en France dans le Cabinet du Roy, dans celuy de Monseigneur le Duc d'Orléans, & dans d'autres Cabinets, Tome Second. Paris, 1742.
Date: 1742.
Materials and Techniques: Etching and engraving on laid paper.
Watermark: yes.
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: Left margin is extended. Left edge with cuts and holes from a binding cord. Wear to edges. The signs of aging are appropriate for the time. A detailed condition report is available on demand.
Part of: [Known as the Cabinet de Crozat or Recueil de Crozat, Volume 2].
Museums and Libraries: The British Museum 1855,0609.223.
Art Movements, Periods & Schools: French School XVIII C. Italian School XVI C.
Notes:
- After a portrait commissioned by Aretino for François I and painted by Titian in 1539; as François I could not pose in person for the Venetian painter, Titian allegedly used a medal engraved by Benvenuto Cellini in 1537 as a model (hence the view in profile); the painting is now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
- This entry incorporates text from Wikipedia and the catalog entry of a similar item from the British Museum collection.