The Genius of Castiglione
The inscription in Latin on the book held by the young man reads in translation 'The genius of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione of Genoa [who] invented and made [this]'. The figure in the print is not a self portrait and the word 'genius' should, in this context, be understood in the ancient sense of a 'guiding spirit'. The seated young man in the print is not a self portrait. Holding a trumpet and a book he represents Fame, an identification that is reinforced by the putto holding a trumpet and pointing to a laurel wreath. The rabbit and the basket with birds symbolize fruitfulness whereas the palette, brushes, and music sheet refer to the arts. Their placement on the ground and the crumpled state of the music sheet present a pessimistic note, suggesting the futility of human accomplishment.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Genius of Castiglione
- Artist: Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto) (Italian, Genoa 1609–1664 Mantua)
- Publisher: Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi (Italian, Rome 1627–1691 Rome)
- Dedicatee: Matthys van de Merwede, Lord of Clootwyck (Dutch, ca. 1625–after 1677)
- Date: ca. 1645–47 (published 1648)
- Medium: Etching
- Dimensions: 14 x 9 5/8 in. (35.5 x 24.5 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
- Object Number: 17.50.17-36
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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