ABBÉ PIETRO ZANI Famous Antiquarian Expert Collector Writer Etching by DOMINIQUE VIVANT DENON Tiré à quarante-huit exemplaires sur ce papier EXEMPLAIRE No. XXVII (27) RARE

ABBÉ PIETRO ZANI 

Famous Antiquarian Expert Collector Writer 

Etching

 by 

DOMINIQUE VIVANT DENON

detail. upper part of plate

 Tiré à quarante-huit exemplaires sur ce papier 

EXEMPLAIRE No. XXVII (27) 

RARE

LF 209

La Fizelière

TIB 191

The Illustrated Bartsch

In 1759, Abbé Gori discovered a niello with a Coronation of Mary(currently in the Palazzo del Bargello, although it was originally intended for the San Giovanni Baptistery in Florence) which he deemed to be the work of Maso Finiguerra (A. Gori, Thesaurus veterum diptychorum consularium et ecclesias ticorum..., Florence 1759, vol. 3, p. 315). Some forty years later, in November 1797, Abbé Zani finally discovered in the Cabinet des estampes of the Bibliothèque nationale an impression on paper of the niello which Abbé Gori had attributed to Maso Finiguerra.

Zani’s discovery has since been interpreted as a vindication of Vasari’s early assumption that Finiguerra was indeed the inventor of copperplate engraving, a theory which nowadays is no longer sustained. Be that as it may, Vivant-Denon’s etching is undoubtedly a testimony to the tremendous significance these assumptions had at the time. 

N.T.B

IMPRESSUM KOLOPHON

No. XXVII

Tiré a quarante-huit exemplaires sur ce papier

fligrane

PL BAS

filigrane

D&C

autoportrait denon

eau-forte

LF 211 

La Fizelière

TIB 158

The Illustrated Bartsch

° Dominique Vivant Denon. Advisor of Napoleon. Art Administrator.Artist Author.Charmeur.Connoisseur Diplomat Early Lithographer.Homme de Lettres Museum Director.Writer. cf. THE ILLUSTRATED BARTSCH 121 Part 1 Research granted by Seaton Hall University Faculty Council Collections : Paris.Bibliotheque Nationale Cabinet des Estampes .Réserves Cabinet des Médailles Chalon-sur Saone.Musée Vivant Denon Cambridge.Massachusetts.Fogg Museum Chicago Art Institute New York.N.Y. Metropolitan Museum.Drawing Department.Print Department New York. N.Y. Public Library New York Frick Collection. Köln.Wallraf Richartz Museum München Staatsbibliothek Firenze Uffizi Venezia Guggenheim Museum etc. °