Fan or A headpiece in the form of a fan

Agostino Carracci
Italy
1557 – 1602

Fan or A headpiece in the form of a fan
c 1589-95
engraving on paper
Place made
Florence?, Italy
Medium
engraving on paper
State
B.XVIII.149.260; TIB 3901.188 S2; Bohlin (1979) 193 ii/ii
Dimensions
36.2 x 25.0 cm (plate & sheet)
Credit line
Bequest of David Murray 1908
Accession number
084G1630
Signature and date
Signed in plate l.l., "August. Carrazza Inv. e.fe." Not dated.
Catalogue raisonne
B.XVIII.149.260; TIB 3901.188 S2; Bohlin 193 ii/ii
Media category
Print
Collection area
European prints

  • WALL LABEL: A Beautiful Line: Italian prints from Mantegna to Piranesi, 2012

     

    The subject of this engraving is unusual, and its function has been the subject of ongoing debate. Traditionally, it has been identified as a design for a fan. However, scholars have observed that the absence of a handle and the interchangeable vignettes suggest another purpose. They propose the engraving may have functioned as a headpiece to be worn at festivities in a procession or intermezzo. Agostino may have made the engraving for the marriage feast of Ferdinand de’Medici and Christine of Lorraine in 1589.

     

    Maria Zagala, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs

  • A beautiful line. Italian prints from Mantegna to Piranesi

    Art Gallery of South Australia, 20 August 2010 – 31 October 2010