The Alliance of Peace and Abundance
Bartolomeo Coriolano
Description
Bartolomeo Coriolano
Italy, circa 1599–circa 1676
The Alliance of Peace and Abundance
1627
Chiaroscuro woodcut printed with line block and one tone block on laid paper
Museum purchase, 1970/1.178
This remarkable print is the first fruit of collaboration between Bartolomeo Coriolano and Guido Reni (1575–1642), the famous Baroque painter, whose works Coriolano translated into prints. The female figure representing Peace stands on our left, holding an olive branch, and returns the embrace of Abundance, who cradles a cornucopia against her hip. The finely modeled draperies and elegant poses of the figures recall the work of Renaissance masters of whom Reni saw himself as an artistic heir. The blue tonality lends the print the appearance of a drawing made on costly tinted paper. By the time of Reni’s death, Coriolano would produce at least eighteen other chiaroscuro woodcuts after drawings that Reni had prepared solely for this purpose.
(6/28/10)
Subject Matter:
The allegorical figure of Peace stands on the viewer's left with an olive branch. She is embraced by Abundance, identified by the cornucopia in her left hand. This elegant print is the first fruit of the collaboration between Coriolano and Guido Reni (1575-1642), the famous painter. By the time of Reni's death, Coriolano would produce at least eighteen other chiaroscuro woodcuts after drawings that Reni had prepared solely for translating into prints.
Physical Description:
Two women in long robes stand arm in arm in a landscape. One figure holds an olive branch in her right hand, and her companion cradles a cornucopia against her hip.
Usage Rights:
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