Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
The Genius of Castiglioneca. 1645–47 (published 1648)
A genius, the guiding spirit of the artist, presides over a crowd of objects and creatures, among them musical instruments, birds, rabbits and putti, in this etching that Castiglione published in 1648. More about this work
About this work
A genius, the guiding spirit of the artist, presides over a crowd of objects and creatures, among them musical instruments, birds, rabbits and putti, in this etching that Castiglione published in 1648. The title presents the image as an emblem of the artist’s own creative spirit, a kind of personal manifesto about art, fame and the passing of time. His loose, luminous etching style owes much to Rembrandt, whose prints were then circulating in Italy and whom Castiglione greatly admired.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Etching
- The artist draws with a needle through a waxy coating on a copper plate, and acid bites the exposed lines. The plate is then inked, wiped and printed under pressure, so the line keeps the freedom of drawing.
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
Italian, 1609–1664 · Born in Genoa; died in Mantua.
Castiglione, nicknamed Il Grechetto, trained in his native Genoa and worked in Rome before becoming court painter to the Gonzaga in Mantua. He painted pastoral journeys of the patriarchs crowded with animals and vessels, but his most original work is on paper: he invented the monotype, painting an image on a plate and pressing it onto a sheet, and made bold drawings with a brush loaded with oil paint. His etchings show the influence of Rembrandt.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 17.50.17-36
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Prints
- Department
- Drawings and Prints
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
