Domenico Aspari, San Paolo Delle Nuns Milan, 1788, Etching

Description

Domenico aspari san paolo delle monache milan 1788. Beautiful view engraved with etching and burin with original frame and glass; … more Domenico aspari san paolo delle monache milan 1788. Beautiful view engraved with etching and burin with original frame and glass; the frame is in ebonized walnut. The sheet was transferred to canvas in 1800. In good condition.

plate number 8 of the series views of milan. The church of san paolo is described in this table, in three quarters, investigating the details of the facade. The foreground space in this case is not very crowded. Excellent impression with a strong line and delicate blacks, belonging to the first edition made towards the end of the 18th century. Great attention, through subtle chiaroscuro effects, is paid to the architecture that acts as the protagonist. Wide margins beyond the copper mark. Under the title inscription on the plate: “to his excellence / mrs. Cont. Do. Elisabetta borromeo de conti d'aragona and born marchesa cusani". Below the view on the left, signature and date: “domenico aspar. Del and sculp. Milan 1788”, on the right “architecture by gianbattista crespi d. The cerano”.

italian painter, engraver and teacher. Due to the family's economic situation he was unable to follow his studies regularly, but thanks to his strong drawing ability some benefactors allowed him to study at the ferrara academy under the guidance of giuseppe baldrighi. Here he became interested in painting and decorative paintings for the ducal palace. Once he moved to milan he almost completely stopped painting to dedicate himself to engraving, inspiring his style to that of piranesi. As an engraver and cartoonist he illustrated la corneide (1773) by giovanni de gamerra, much of the first italian edition of winckelmann's history of the arts of drawing (milan 1779), the events of milan during the war with federigo i (milan 1778) and delle milanese lombard antiquities (milan 1792-93, 4 vols.) by angelo fumagalli. The consecration, however, came with the sixteen views of milan, etched and finished in burin from 1786 to 1792, reprinted several times (the last one by vallardi in 1808), and which have become very rare and deservedly highly sought after as the only ones worthy of stand alongside the great roman and venetian specimens.

bibliography: paolo arrigoni (ed.), milan in old prints, december 1969, n.129. This piece has an attribution mark,
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