5. Giuseppe Nicolò Vicentino (aka Rossigliani or Rospigliasi) (1470-1560 or fl. ca. 1520-1550)
after Francesco Parmigianino (1503-1540)

Temperance

(click on image to print)
Vincentino, Temperance

Temperance

Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks, Bartsch XII-129-5 ii/ii (as Anonymous Italian), Davis (Mannerist Prints) 57 (as Vicentino), 141 x 93 mm., ex collection: old anonymous numbering AdIV. A very good but typically unevenly-inked impression (still comparable to the BM impression) with the monogram of Adriani, on laid paper trimmed just inside the borderline and mounted to an old (18th century?) mount with a gold border and black framing lines; a few thin spots. The print is part of a set of Christian Virtues and though the full set was issued by Adriani, his monogram appears only on this image. Temperance has for ages been represented by a woman pouring water from a pitcher into another vessel, thus diluting wine with water to exemplify moderation. While this explanation may seem feeble to some, we have found no other. The print, in any state, is rarely seen for sale.