The exhibition, entitled Mantegna to Hogarth: Virtuoso Engravers of Four Centuries, will give an overview of engraving - the oldest intaglio technique of printing - with the aid of nearly two hundred works selected from the Museum of Fine Arts' rich collection of prints.
The earliest engravings in the exhibition were made in the second half of the 15th century by Italian and German masters, among them Andrea Mantegna, Antonio Pollaiuolo, Martin Schongauer and Israhel van Meckenem. However, most of the works in the exhibition were created in the 16th century, the most prolific era of engraving. Among the German masters from the period represented in the exhibition are Albrecht Dürer, Heinrich Aldegrever and Lucas Cranach. The exhibition also shows works by the Dutch masters Lucas van Leyden, Hendrick Goltzius, Jan Saenredam, Aegidius Sadeler, Jacob Matham and Jan Muller; the Italian artists Marcantonio Raimondi, Giorgio Ghisi, Jacopo de'Barbari and Marco Dente; and the French artist Jean Duvet along with members of the Fontainebleau School.
Next the exhibition shows prints which reproduce paintings, popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Visitors will be able to see a selection of engravings of the Carracci family as well as prints which reproduce famous paintings by Rubens. One of the period's outstanding artists was the Englishman William Hogarth, a number of whose prints are in the Museum of Fine Arts' collection.
The exhibition offers an examination of the mezzotint technique, also used in the 18th century, as well as techniques used in the 19th and 20th centuries as the art of engraving saw a decline in popularity.
A display of the tools used in the art of engraving as well as examples of a copper plate in various phases of its transformation into an engraving round out the exhibition.
Accompanying the exhibition will be a series of family programmes and special children's activities. In addition to the exhibition catalogue, to be published in Hungarian and English, the Fine Arts Museum will also offer visitors materials for families and children.
Source: Múlt-kor / Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
