Mary Magdeline in the Emerald City - Limited Edition of 4 Print

This hand printed etching by Di Falco—based on three of his pencil and powdered graphite drawings—was originally inspired by an illustration in THE SFORZA HOURS (which is from the British Library Collection, London, Add. MS 34294). Media for this 2nd Edition (of 5 editions) print includes a created blend of oil base etching ink (Charbonnel brad from Paris, France) on RivesBFK white paper, also French-made. The image size—the size of the zinc plate employed by Di Falco—is ten inches high by eight inches wide. The paper size is about fifteen by twelve to thirteen inches. The work comes framed and matted in a semi-ornate wood frame (painted black). Nine plate workings were required before the artist was satisfied with his design. He employed the studio techniques of intaglio and drypoint. Moreover, the zinc plate was etched in several Nitric Acid baths, along with multiple burnishing steps. Each of the five editions is limited to only four etchings. The different editions will employ a different ink and paper combination. DiFalco printed the work on a Charles Brand press at The Center for Works on Paper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is a part of Fleisher Art Memorial’s OPEN STUDIO IN PRINTMAKING. This is an unstructured printing time for professional artists, and Di Falco mentors the artists and also acts as a studio-monitor. Fleisher is associated with The Philadelphia Museum of Art. The work illustrates the ascent of Mary Magdalene, who is veiled in her own hair and surrounded by four angels. The scene also includes fishermen in a boat, a praying hermit (probably Saint Anthony) and the French cave in which Mary nurses the daughter she conceived with Jesus Christ. History of the Illustration on which this etching is based —The Sforza Hours are a colorful book of hours commissioned by Bona Sforza, the widow of Galeazzo Sforza who was the Duke of Milan in 1490. The artist was Giovanni Pietro Birago, and moreover the book has a complicated history involving art theft and clerical intrigue. The illustrations were later finished under the patronage of Margaret of Austria. According to the site , “Margaret . . . the daughter of the Habsburg Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, moved to the Netherlands in 1506 as Regent for her nephew Charles and there she became one of the great patrons of the Northern Renaissance . . . . In 1517 she instigated the completion of the Sforza Hours. Gerard Horenbout was commissioned to paint 16 miniatures and two borders . . . but the book did not resurface until 1871, when C. J. Robinson acquired it from a priest in Madrid for eight hundred pounds. It was then sold to John Malcolm of Poltalloch who presented it to the British Museum (the library of which is now the British Library) in 1893, shortly before his death.” The Saatchi price includes the mat, frame, Certificate of Authenticity, packing, handling costs, shipment carton, and all costs related to shipment.