Marcoantonio Raimondi Etchings

Marcoantonio Raimondi Biography

Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, born circa 1480–1527)

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Italian engraver. In Venice Marcoantonio Raimondi was influenced by Dürer to such an extent that he plagiarized the German master's series, Life of the Virgin and the Passion. It is said that Dürer complained to the Venetian senate. Raimondi's art of imitation was appreciated more by Raphael, who selected him to copy his designs and paintings. Thus under Raphael's supervision (1510–20) he became the first eminent engraver of reproductions. He was quite free in his interpretation of original works, when compared with later, more literal engravers. However, his was a somewhat heavy-handed style. Among his most famous works after Raphael are Lucretia, Pietà, Massacre of the Innocents, Death of Dido, and Adam and Eve. Raimondi made engravings after other artists, including Michelangelo, Giulio Romano, and Baccio Bandinelli. In 1527, during the sack of Rome, he fled to Bologna. The rest of his life was spent in obscurity.