1776 Engraving of the Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, After Pietro da Cortona / Engraved by Joan (Giovanni) Baptista Cecchi / Dedicated to Duke Lorenzo Strozzi
1776 Engraving of the Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, After Pietro da Cortona / Engraved by Joan (Giovanni) Baptista Cecchi / Dedicated to Duke Lorenzo Strozzi
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17th/18th C Italian Prints with Religious themes - John Baptiste Cecci - Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
Title/Subject: Likely The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence
After: Pietro da Cortona (1596–1669) — one of the great masters of the Italian Baroque.
Engraver: Joan Baptista Cecchi (Giovanni Battista Cecchi)
Date: 1776
Dedication: To D. Laurentio Strozzi, a Florentine nobleman.
Copperplate engraving on laid paper
Pietro da Cortona pinx. → “Painted by Pietro da Cortona.” / Joan Bapt. Cecchi Sculp. 1776 → “Engraved by Giovanni Battista Cecchi, 1776.”
“Duci ornatissimo D. Laurentio Strozze Forani Principi Summo Leopoldo Austriæ M.D.D. Joan. Bapt. Cecchi Flor. D.D.D.”
→ “To the most distinguished Duke Lorenzo Strozzi, Prince of Forano, chief advisor to Leopold of Austria (Grand Duke of Tuscany). Dedicated by Giovanni Battista Cecchi of Florence.”
Extat in Eccl. S. Cajet. Flor. → “Exists in the Church of Saint Cajetan, Florence.” / This indicates the original painting by Pietro da Cortona is (or was) located in the Church of San Gaetano (Saint Cajetan) in Florence.
Cecchi was a Florentine engraver active in the late 18th century, known for his refined line engraving technique and reproductions of Renaissance and Baroque paintings for aristocratic patrons.
He worked extensively under Grand Duke Leopold I of Tuscany (later Emperor Leopold II) and produced a number of engravings after Pietro da Cortona, Andrea del Sarto, and other major painters. His work was often commissioned as dedications to noble families such as the Strozzi and Corsini.
The subject shows Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), a Roman deacon martyred by being roasted alive on a gridiron under Emperor Valerian around 258 CE.
In this engraving:
Lawrence is semi-nude, bound, and being forced onto a grill.
Soldiers restrain him; a judge or ruler (Valerian) watches from a dais.
The Strozzi family, one of Florence’s oldest noble families, were major patrons of Baroque art.
This engraving was likely part of a Florentine series of religious masterworks commissioned around the 1770s to celebrate Tuscan artistic heritage and family patronage.
The mention of San Gaetano (S. Cajet.) ties this composition to the Theatine church in Florence, whose decoration was richly influenced by Pietro da Cortona and his followers.
Above, a cherub descends from heaven with a palm branch (symbol of martyrdom) and a crown (symbol of victory in faith).
The setting features grand classical architecture typical of Pietro da Cortona’s dramatic Baroque compositions.
17th/18th C Italian Prints with Religious themes - John Baptiste Cecci - Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
Title/Subject: Likely The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence
After: Pietro da Cortona (1596–1669) — one of the great masters of the Italian Baroque.
Engraver: Joan Baptista Cecchi (Giovanni Battista Cecchi)
Date: 1776
Dedication: To D. Laurentio Strozzi, a Florentine nobleman.
Copperplate engraving on laid paper
Pietro da Cortona pinx. → “Painted by Pietro da Cortona.” / Joan Bapt. Cecchi Sculp. 1776 → “Engraved by Giovanni Battista Cecchi, 1776.”
“Duci ornatissimo D. Laurentio Strozze Forani Principi Summo Leopoldo Austriæ M.D.D. Joan. Bapt. Cecchi Flor. D.D.D.”
→ “To the most distinguished Duke Lorenzo Strozzi, Prince of Forano, chief advisor to Leopold of Austria (Grand Duke of Tuscany). Dedicated by Giovanni Battista Cecchi of Florence.”
Extat in Eccl. S. Cajet. Flor. → “Exists in the Church of Saint Cajetan, Florence.” / This indicates the original painting by Pietro da Cortona is (or was) located in the Church of San Gaetano (Saint Cajetan) in Florence.
Cecchi was a Florentine engraver active in the late 18th century, known for his refined line engraving technique and reproductions of Renaissance and Baroque paintings for aristocratic patrons.
He worked extensively under Grand Duke Leopold I of Tuscany (later Emperor Leopold II) and produced a number of engravings after Pietro da Cortona, Andrea del Sarto, and other major painters. His work was often commissioned as dedications to noble families such as the Strozzi and Corsini.
The subject shows Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), a Roman deacon martyred by being roasted alive on a gridiron under Emperor Valerian around 258 CE.
In this engraving:
Lawrence is semi-nude, bound, and being forced onto a grill.
Soldiers restrain him; a judge or ruler (Valerian) watches from a dais.
The Strozzi family, one of Florence’s oldest noble families, were major patrons of Baroque art.
This engraving was likely part of a Florentine series of religious masterworks commissioned around the 1770s to celebrate Tuscan artistic heritage and family patronage.
The mention of San Gaetano (S. Cajet.) ties this composition to the Theatine church in Florence, whose decoration was richly influenced by Pietro da Cortona and his followers.
Above, a cherub descends from heaven with a palm branch (symbol of martyrdom) and a crown (symbol of victory in faith).
The setting features grand classical architecture typical of Pietro da Cortona’s dramatic Baroque compositions.