Title page (Le Arti di Bologna) - Simon Guillain

A historical title page index from the series 'Le Arti di Bologna', documenting the tradespeople of seventeenth-century Italy.

This print is the title page for the series 'Le Arti di Bologna', a collection of etchings documenting the street vendors and tradespeople of seventeenth-century Bologna. The original drawings were produced by Annibale Carracci, and the subsequent engravings were executed by the French sculptor and printmaker Simon Guillain. This specific page serves as an index, listing the eighty figures depicted throughout the series. The text is presented in a clear, formal typeface, reflecting the systematic approach taken to document the social fabric of the city.

Guillain, who spent a significant portion of his career in Italy, captures the essence of the original Carracci sketches through precise line work. The list includes a diverse array of occupations, ranging from food sellers and artisans to labourers and street performers. Each entry is numbered, corresponding to the individual plates that follow in the series. The document provides a window into the daily life of the period, offering a record of the various roles that sustained the urban economy of Bologna. The composition is strictly utilitarian, prioritising legibility and order. It functions as a catalogue of human activity, stripped of decorative flourishes to ensure the information remains the primary focus. The print is an example of the collaboration between Italian draughtsmanship and French printmaking techniques during the Baroque era. It remains a valuable resource for historians interested in the social history and material culture of the seventeenth century, as it categorises the labouring classes with a level of detail that was rare for the time. The work is printed on paper that has aged to a warm, neutral tone, maintaining the character of the original seventeenth-century production.