Bartolozzi was a prolific Italian-born printmaker who spent much of his life in London. He specialised in the technique of stipple engraving, sometimes known as the ‘crayon manner’ because it was devised to imitate the appearance of chalk drawings. This example is printed on silk, which gives a subtle sheen to the tones of the engraving.
[11/09/2017]There must have been a demand from collectors for Bartolozzi subjects printed on silk, for Francesco Bartolozzi - a major figure in his day - is the printmaker whose designs are most frequently encountered in this form. Prints on silk were always aimed at a niche market, and their fragility has made them especially rare today. This may be because prints on silk tended to be framed and hung on the wall. Thus they were exposed to the damaging effects of light for longer periods than prints on paper kept safe and dark in connoisseurs' portfolios.Print, 'Cupid's Manufactory', by Francesco Bartolozzi RA after Francesco Albani. Stipple engraving on silk, 1800.Stipple engraving printed on silk