70 “Antonio Maria Zanetti, the Venetian engraver, connoisseur, and collector of engraved gems, provided the drawings for this sumptuously illustrated account of classical and modern gems in his own collection in Venice. The description of the gems are by Antonio Francesco Gori (1691-1757), who had also worked with him on the Delle Antiche Statue Greche e Romane che nell’Antisala della Libreria di San Marco, e in altri luoghi pubblici di Venezia si trovano. Zanetti enjoyed showing his collection to visitors, and some mistakenly thought the Gemme antichi was a deluxe sale catalogue and made offers for the gems. Zanetti refused to entertain any offers until the Duke of Marlborough offered to pay 1200 zecchini for four of his gems, which Zanetti excepted. Piranesi incorporated four gems from Zanetti’s collection (plates 37, 33, 65 and 67) in his preparatory drawing of his Parere su l’Architettura” (Christie’s, Catalogue Vershbow) Un autre ensemble de dessins ayant servi aux gravures de l’ouvrage est conservé, avec de nombreux camées de la collection Zanetti, au Musée Correr, à Venise. La pièce la plus importante des gemmes de la collection Zanetti était un camée noir représentant le favori de l’empereur Hadrien, Antinoüs, en chasseur (figure XXII). On rapporte que Zanetti tenait tant à l’acquérir qu’il était prêt à vendre sa maison. Ce camée rejoignit ensuite la collection de George Spencer, 4e duc de Marlborough et prit le surnom de “Marlborough gem”. Il fut récemment proposé à la vente (New York, 29 avril 2019, lot 37, $2.115.000) BIBLIOGRAPHIE : Lettere artistiche del Settecento veneziano : Anton Maria Zanetti, Venise, M. Magrini éd., 2019 -- Diana Scarisbrick : “A. M. Zanetti and the Althorp Leopard, Apollo, nov. 1979, pp. 425 et “Piranesi and the Dactyliotheca Zanettiana”, Burlington Magazine, juin 1992, pp. 413-414 10 000/15 000 €
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjUxNw==