After the left half of the fresco by Giulio Romano and Raphael’s workshop after cartoons by the Master, in the Sala di Constantino at the Vatican. The remarkable album of which this print formed a part consisted of at least 166 etchings and engravings, Venetian and Roman prints contemporary with the collector, distributed over at least 124 folios. Albums of this kind surviving to recent times are of the greatest rarity and after some of it had already been dispersed in 1999, including our sheet, over half of the album was acquired by the Rijksmuseum. An article analyzing the album’s contents and context written by Joyce Zelen was published in the Rijksmuseum Bulletin vol. 63, no. 1 (2015). She suggests that the diversity of subject matter and publishers among these prints could indicate that Zobel made the selection himself, rather than purchasing a publisher’s stock compilation. This print is listed as Folio 2, its whereabouts at that time unknown. Marco Angelo del Moro, to whom this print is here attributed, was occupied chiefly as a painter. In the only ten etchings firmly attributed to him his technique resembles that of his father Battista. His delicate tonalities and open etching style reveal the influence of Venetian prints and paintings.
Bartsch variously listed the print under G.B. d’Angelo del Moro, XVI “douteuse”, and either Paolo or Orazio Farinati, VI, 6, but while not being able to firmly assign a name to this impressive print, he twice comments on the skill of the engraver. TIB 32, 311, 200. Watermark: Crossed Arrows surmounted by a Star (similar to Briquet 6291, Rome 1561-62 and Ferrara 1563). A very good impression, strongly printed except for some dryness at the far left, with a little wiped tone
upper right. Trimmed on or just inside the platemark, retaining a fillet of blank paper outside the borderline at right and below, trimmed to
the subject above. Like many large prints from this album mounted with four laid paper strips to create a
median size when folded vertically, with a paper guard on the verso. A little very pale glue-staining at the
print’s edges, some ink-stains at the edges of the very wide mounted margins, generally in very
good condition.