Description:

Vallombrosa Abbey
[Reggello, Italy], ca. 1750
Rare 18th C. Italian Monumental Etching of Vallombrosa Abbey, 23" x 58"!
Etching
A magnificent eighteenth-century Italian etching after Italian printmaker Antonio Cioci (active ca. 1722-1792) showing a panoramic view of Vallombrosa Abbey, a Benedictine monastery located about 30 km southeast of Florence in the wilds of Tuscany. 1750. [Italy.] Printed "Ant. Cioci Florent. delin. / et sculptit anno 1750" just outside the image at lower right. The year 1750 also appears in Roman numerals ("MDCCL") in several lines of Latin text at center bottom, being a heavenly invocation to bless Cioci's artwork. A nine-part key in Latin appears at either side, identifying landmarks in the landscape surrounding the abbey such as the poor house ["hospitium pauperum."] Expected wear including foxing, weathering, folds, and isolated closed tears to the edges. Isolated discoloration near sheet joinings presumed to be from adhesive. Else very good to near fine. The etching is truly monumental in scale, consisting of four joined paper sheets laid down on a linen backing, and measuring approximately 23.5" x 58.25" overall. Folded, the etching measures 29.5" x 23.25."

Vallombrosa Abbey is located in the Apennine Mountains in Reggello, Italy. The abbey complex began as a humble mountainside hermitage founded in 1038 by a Florentine noble named Giovanni Gualberto who abandoned worldly pursuits in order to pursue an ascetic life. The medieval abbey which sprang up from Gualberto's retreat served as the seat of the Vallombrosan Order for centuries, and was modeled after the Benedictine Order. The abbey complex underwent signification alterations and additions between the 11th and the 18th centuries, elements of which can be seen in the print. The central precinct - containing the refectory, dormitory, kitchen, and cloisters - was expanded to include a library, a pharmacy/hospital, a bell tower with a clock, fortified towers, and numerous outbuildings. While the medieval architecture of the abbey is certainly impressive, the most striking feature of the Vallombrosa Abbey remains its geographic isolation. As Cioci's etching demonstrates, the abbey appears lost within the surrounding beech and fir forests. Vallombrosa Abbey is alluded to in John Milton's "Paradise Lost," and many intellectuals from the Romantic Period went on pilgrimages there, seeking out the tranquility and meditation that early monks did. Today, the historic abbey is protected within the confines of a National Reserve and arboretum.

Antonio Cioci was a very popular eighteenth-century Florentine artist, who, in addition to being a printmaker, was also a court painter, interior decorator, and furniture designer. Several decades after creating his 1750 view of Vallombrosa Abbey seen here, Cioci returned to the subject in a collaboration with another printmaker, Antonio Donati (active 1764-1788). The artists' works appear in the print collection, "Twenty Six Views of Vallombrosa Drawn and Etched by A.D." (1788).

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: unfolded: 23.5" x 58.25" overall; folded: 29.5" x 23.25"
  • Medium: Etching

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