Venice 1500: Jacopo de’ Barbari and the Rise of Printmaking

Small but perfectly formed exhibition at the British Museum looking at the print trade in Venice around 1500.

The show centred around Barbari’s ambitious map of Venice from 1500 which the museum has a copy of. I always love seeing this print and it was lovely to be able to get up close and study the detail.

Other exhibits then looked at more work by Barbari and his successors. It discussed how Leonardo da Vinci and Durer both visited the city around this time and how this influence prints in the city and how the prints influenced their work.

The show included a print by Mercantino Raimondi copying a print by Durer that sparked a copyright law case which resulted in a ban on anyone else using Durer’s monogram.

It was a fascinating picture of the artists and print trade in the city in this period. As ever in shows by the British Museum Print Room the commentary was excellent and clearly written.

Closes 21 May 2023


 

 

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