Transmission of Fame: Italian Renaissance Prints

Printmaking developed in Europe at the end of the fourteenth century, and by the sixteenth century Italy witnessed an explosion of the relatively new medium, propelled by a new way of thinking about artistic processes, technical advances, and market demand. Designs by famous artists were now "translated" in multiple impressions using the relief method of woodblock printing and intaglio methods of engraving or etching on copper plates. With an expanded reach, Italian Renaissance prints spread throughout Europe the designs of such renowned sixteenth-century artists as Michelangelo, Raphael, Giulio Romano, and Rosso Fiorentino. This exhibition focused on 40 engravings, etchings, and chiaroscuro woodcuts and their role in spreading the designs of artists throughout Europe in the sixteenth century.

This presentation of Italian works on paper coincided with the traveling exhibition, "Marvels of Maiolica: Italian Renaissance Ceramics from the Corcoran Gallery of Art Collection," and was supported by the Smart Family Foundation, Inc. The exhibition was organized by the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center and was drawn from the permanent collection as well as from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and private collections. There are works that appeared in this exhibition that were loans to the Loeb and therefore do not appear on this website.