Il Moretto da Brescia (1498 -1544). "Portrait of Count Fortunato Martinengo Cesaresco". A beautiful etching from the original c. 1542 oil painting which is now housed at the National Gallery, London. Count Fortunato Martinengo Cesaresco (1512-1552) was a member of a branch of Brescia's most important noble clan. He was a leading literary figure in the city, founder of the Accademia dei Dubbiosi, and friend of Lodovico Dolce and Pietro Aretino, among others. He married in 1542, and this could well be a painting done at the time of his betrothal.
Copper plate etching on wove paper after the original by a master engraver. This impression is well more than 120 years old. Published circa 1870. This is not a modern print. The strike is crisp. (Plate Size 6 1/8 x 7 3/4 inches) Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.