Marcantonio Raimondi (1480 - 1534)

Marcantonio Raimondi

Marcantonio Raimondi, also Marcantonio Francia, was an Italian draftsman and copper engraver. He authored more than 300 engravings of Renaissance artworks, including paintings by Raphael and ancient monuments such as architecture, vases and ornaments.

Marcantonio spent his childhood years in Bologna, but little is known of his mother and father's family. The artist was called "Marco Antonio Bolognese". According to Giorgio Vasari, Marcantonio spent some time in France, as his monogram "MAF": Marcantonio Francia confirms. Later he travelled between Venice, Florence and Rome. Influences of the French style can be seen in his works.

His work on the works of Raphael led Marcantonio to collaborate with Giulio Romano, who first commissioned from him a series of images taken from The Histories of Venus, Apollo and Hyacinth and The Histories of Magdalene and the Four Evangelists. Sixteen engravings, based on drawings by Giulio Romano, of Pietro Aretino's love sonnets and containing an erotic subject, were called "Poses of Aretino".