A masterfully executed 18th-century copper engraving by Domenico Cunego, depicting the mathematician Euclid (or Archimedes) with the likeness of the architect Donato Bramante. This piece is part of a celebrated series based on Raphael’s fresco “The School of Athens” in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City.
This striking portrait showcases Cunego’s technical prowess in line engraving. The work captures the subject in an extreme, downward-facing foreshortening as he leans over a slate. The precise rendering of the bald cranium and the intense focus of the mathematician demonstrate a remarkable sense of three-dimensionality, showcasing the architectural precision of the Neoclassical period.
In Raphael’s fresco, the figure of Euclid (or Archimedes) is famously modeled after the great Renaissance architect Donato Bramante. Shown demonstrating a geometric theorem with a compass, his presence in this series symbolizes the fundamental link between mathematical theory, geometry, and the physical construction of the High Renaissance.
Domenico Cunego (Italian, 1726–1803)
Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, 1483–1520)
Copper Engraving / Etching
Circa 1785
Scuola d’Atene (The School of Athens)
Laid paper (typical of late 18th-century European prints)
Rome, Italy
Domenico Cunego was a prominent Italian engraver of the 18th century, renowned for his ability to translate the grandeur of Renaissance frescoes into the delicate medium of copperplate. This series, published in Rome during the 1780s, served a vital role in disseminating the imagery of Raphael’s “Stanze” to a wider European audience of scholars and collectors. The plate number 10 signifies its place in this extensive pedagogical and artistic project.
Detailed descriptions of paper quality, margins, and preservation state.
Direct history of the collection’s origin.
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