Portrait of Pietro Aretino, c. 1541-1560, Enea Vico, Italian, 1523 - 1567, 4 3/4 x 2 7/8 in. (12.07 x 7.3 cm) (plate)6 x 4 in. (15.24 x 10.16 cm) (sheet), Engraving and etching, Italy, 16th century, Italian author Pietro Aretino (1492-1556) ingratiated himself with Renaissance princes by having his portrait painted and delivered to their doorstep. According to the English art critic Roger E. Fry, he was 'a professional flatterer, bully, and tout.' Enea Vico gave the imposing Aretino the aspect of a Roman emperor and framed him within a medallion. In this context the grotesque elements lodged in the margin--masks, animal heads, ripe fruits and vegetables--may function like the marginalia of illuminated manuscripts; that is, as expressions of covert appetites and desires.
Keywords:
Portrait, Pietro Aretino, 1541-1560, Enea Vico, Italian, 1523 - 1567, medallion, context, grotesque elements lodged, margin, masks, animal heads, ripe fruits, vegetables, function, marginalia, illuminated manuscripts, expressions, covert appetites, desires, 6 x 4
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