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Original fileI modi: Nine Fragments
Print (BM Ii,16.6.1-9 011)
About This Work
The print is composed of a grid containing nine distinct vignettes: two circular, six square, and one vertical rectangular panel. The imagery includes a bearded man with one leg raised, a woman reclining with her legs apart, and several close-up studies of heads and torsos in erotic or intimate poses. The figures are rendered with dramatic shading and classical musculature typical of Renaissance engravings. Each vignette is labeled with a handwritten-style number, ranging from 'No 2' to 'No 19'.
These fragments belong to the series 'I modi', a set of erotic prints designed by Marcantonio Raimondi after drawings by Giulio Romano, which caused a major scandal in 16th-century Rome due to their explicit nature and criticism of the Papacy. They represent the intersection of Classical aesthetics and Renaissance erotica, reflecting a subgenre of humanist culture that explored the limits of censorship and private classical revival.
Inscriptions
n° 3 n° 15 n° 13 n° 2 n° 11 n° 4 n° 11 n° 4 n° 19
Connected Texts
Giulio Romano
Romano created the original designs for the 'I modi' series, which Agostino Veneziano later engraved.
Pietro Aretino
Aretino wrote the infamous 'Sonnetti lussuriosi' to accompany the original 'I modi' engravings.