Raimondi, Marcantonio

Raimondi, Marcantonio (märkäntô`nyō rīmôn`dē), 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.

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Raimondi, Marcantonio

(born c. 1480, near Bologna—died c. 1534, Bologna) Italian engraver. He trained in Bologna under Francesco Francia, but his energetic lines and use of cross-hatching in modeling were influenced by Albrecht Dürer. After he moved to Rome c. 1510, he specialized in reproducing works by other artists, particularly Raphael. He retained Raphael's idealized figures but provided his own background and landscapes. His engravings sold in large numbers and did much to spread High Renaissance style throughout Europe during his lifetime.