Artist Unknown (16th century)
after Ugo da Carpi (Italian, c. 1480-after 1535)
after Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520)
The Sibyl and a Child Bearing a Torch
INV-8733
Artist Unknown (16th century)
after Ugo da Carpi (Italian, c. 1480-after 1535)
after Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520)1520-40
The Sibyl and a Child Bearing a Torch
Artist Unknown (16th century) after Ugo da Carpi (Italian, c. 1480-after 1535) after Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520) →printprints and drawing
Date
1520-40
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut from two blocks in black and ochre on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
27.6 × 21.9 cm (10 7/8 × 8 5/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Print and Drawing Club Fund
This mysterious composition of a woman reading a book by torchlight was made by printing two woodblocks on top of each other, one for the beige tone, the other for the black lines. The initial R in the upper left attributes the design to Raphael, who collaborated with Ugo da Carpi, the first artist to practice color-printing in Italy. This is an impression of one of three versions by unknown artists who copied Ugo’s original print, attesting to the popularity of this design.