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Italy, 17th century, etching
In this frieze, where the world seems to teeter upon its own foundations, bodies collide, topple, and expose themselves with almost insolent freedom. On the right, two entangled figures compose a scene whose bawdy charge makes little effort to conceal itself: one, thrown backward over a barrel, adopts a posture so open that it borders on provocation, while the other, half-buried within the opening of the cask, adds a bodily tension that approaches a pornographic gesture — yet treated with the ironic distance characteristic of early burlesque. Nothing is explicitly shown, everything is suggested, and it is precisely within this ambiguous space that Mitelli excels: a popular theatre where desire, awkwardness, and ridicule merge.
Further on, two elderly men leaning on crutches advance like impassive witnesses to this joyful license, reminding us that, in Mitelli’s work, the grotesque is never separated from the most fragile aspects of humanity. The line, lively, tight, almost impatient, cuts through the silhouettes with the dry energy typical of the Bolognese engraver. The print oscillates between obscene farce, social satire, and a form of amused compassion — a characteristic blend in Mitelli’s art, where popular laughter becomes a mirror both unsparing and yet not without tenderness.
Although the absence of a caption — frequent in Mitelli’s work — does not allow a precise identification of the present plate, the stylistic coherence remains strong. There are indeed series of capricci grotteschi attributed to Mitelli that lack inscriptions. This impression may therefore be classified as a youthful work, or even as previously unpublished.
It is presented with a “blue Mariette” wash mount, under anti-reflective and UV-protective glass. It is framed in a Louis XIV period Bérain moulding.
Dimensions: sheet 10 × 14.9 cm — 28 × 33 cm framed.
Biography: Giuseppe Maria Mitelli (Bologna 1634 – ibid. 1718) was a 17th-century Bolognese engraver known for his satirical and allegorical genre scenes. He established his reputation through witty engravings depicting everyday life and the customs of his time. Mitelli remained faithful to his native city throughout his life, where he died in 1718. His plates are highly sought after by collectors and connoisseurs of Old Master prints.
