Cristus Dominus a Magus muneribus colitur. Matth. II (after Raphael) - preparatory proof

Francesco Villamena

From the Rijksmuseum website (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200267792): "This print is part of a series consisting of a title print and twenty prints by Francesco Villamena after paintings in the Loggia of Raphael in the Vatican. The series was published after Villamena's death. While the first fifteen prints are numbered 1-15, the last five prints are numbered 60-64. The printmaker may have had a series of 64 prints in mind, which remained unfinished because of his death."

This impression includes what at first glance looks like a graphite grid but is, in fact, ink, whether its penned or very lightly engraved. It's not known what the intent was behind this, though it might have been intended for a larger work, such as a painting or a mural, or it may have been used as a teaching tool in demonstrating how to copy a work, which was common at the time.