Muto, non Ciecho Sçavoir = Vivre Masquerade - Francesco Bartolozzi

A 1775 etching and stipple engraving by Francesco Bartolozzi, depicting an allegorical Cupid for a London masquerade event.

This fine art print is an etching and stipple engraving by the Italian master Francesco Bartolozzi, after a design by Giovanni Battista Cipriani. Dated 1775, the work was produced as a ticket or invitation for a masquerade event, a popular form of social entertainment in eighteenth-century London. The central figure is a blindfolded Cupid, rendered with the soft, modulated tones characteristic of Bartolozzi's stipple technique. He holds a bow and a small banner depicting a female figure, while two doves nestle at his feet. The Latin inscription, Muto, non Ciecho, translates to 'Mute, not blind', a playful subversion of the traditional iconography of Cupid, who is typically depicted as blind.

Bartolozzi settled in London in 1764 and became a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts. His collaboration with Cipriani was highly productive, resulting in numerous prints that captured the refined, decorative aesthetic of the period. The composition is contained within an oval frame, surrounded by a ribbon banner bearing the event details. The precision of the line work and the delicate shading demonstrate the technical mastery that made Bartolozzi one of the most sought-after engravers of his time. This print offers a glimpse into the social culture of the Georgian era, where classical motifs were frequently employed for contemporary festivities. The work is a fine example of the intersection between high-art printmaking and the ephemeral requirements of high-society social life in the late eighteenth century.