Marcantonio Raimondi

Marcantonio Raimondi , b. c.1480, d. before c.1534, Italian engraver. In Venice he was influenced by Dürer to such an extent that he plagiarized the German master's series, Life of the Virgin and the Passion. It is said that Dürer complained to the Venetian senate. Raimondi's art of imitation was appreciated more by Raphael, who selected him to copy his designs and paintings. Thus under Raphael's supervision (1510-20) he became the first eminent engraver of reproductions. He was quite free in his interpretation of original works, when compared with later, more literal engravers. However, his was a somewhat heavy-handed style. Among his most famous works after Raphael are Lucretia, Pietà, Massacre of the Innocents, Death of Dido, and Adam and Eve. Raimondi made engravings after other artists, including Michelangelo, Giulio Romano, and Baccio Bandinelli. In 1527, during the sack of Rome, he fled to Bologna. The rest of his life was spent in obscurity.

Raimondi, Marcantonio (b ?Argini, nr. Bologna, c.1480; d ?Bologna, 1527/34). Italian line engraver, a pioneer in the use of prints to reproduce the work of other artists. He studied in Bologna with Francia, and from about 1506 to 1508 lived in Venice, where he learned much from Dürer's engravings (Dürer, indeed, brought legal proceedings against him for plagiarism). In about 1510 he settled in Rome, and thereafter worked mainly for Raphael, his engravings helping to spread the master's style throughout Europe. Apart from his association with Raphael, Raimondi is best known for a series of erotic engravings (after designs by Giulio Romano) that led to his imprisonment in 1524. He left Rome after the Sack of 1527 and died in obscurity.