Generously sponsored by Mary Ellen Oldenburg.

The Gabinetto dei disegni e delle stampe della Fondazione Musei Civici houses one of the most comprehensive and distinguished collections of Venetian graphic art in the world. The collection comprises over 60.000 woodcuts, engravings, and etchings by some of the greatest designers and printmakers of the Renaissance, including Mantegna, Dürer, Titian, Ugo da Carpi, Nicolò Boldrini, and Battista Franco. The collection is made up of both original prints designed by the artist on blocks or plates (stampe d’invenzione), and reproductive prints (stampe di traduzione) handmade by professional printmakers after an artist’s painted work.

The major part of the collection was accumulated through the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly by bequests and donations that distinguished Venetians decided to leave for their beloved city. Among them stands out Teodoro Correr, an abbot and sophisticated art collector who in 1830 left all his property and belongings to the city of Venice, including his collection of 5.967 loose prints and dozens of volumes of prints. In 1865, Venetian bibliophile Emmanuele Antonio Cicogna—the esteemed author of the encyclopedic Inscrizioni Veneziane—donated almost 6.000 loose engravings, bound prints, and volumes of prints that belonged to both his collection and the Gherro Collection that he had acquired in 1847. Another major bequest, consisting of over 3.000 loose and bound prints, was provided by Girolamo Ascanio Molin, the descendant of doge Francesco Molin whose collection entered the Gabinetto in 1885. Further additions have been added throughout the following century until today by art collectors such as Eugenio Regazzi (1949), Aldo Ravà (1965), and Giuseppe Scalabrino (2018).

16 woodcuts and two albums of prints were carefully examined and underwent conservation treatment, including surface cleaning, removal of old repairs or tapes, mending and filling of paper loss, maintenance of backings and mattes, and remounting with acid-free materials and techniques to guarantee the safety of the work for the future. A detailed photographic campaign took place before, during, and after conservation treatment as a visual record for reference. 

Titian (c. 1488/90 – 1576) [designer]
Ugo da Carpi (1470 – 1532) [printmaker]
The Sacrifice of Abraham
woodcut
774 x 1064 mm

Titian (c. 1488/90 – 1576) [designer]
Nicolò Boldrini (c. 1500 – c. 1566) [printmaker]
Landscape with a Milkmaid and an Eagle
woodcut
378 x 450 mm

Titian (c. 1488/90 – 1576) [designer]
Nicolò Boldrini (c. 1500 – c. 1566) [printmaker]
Milo of Croton
woodcut
299 x 414 mm

Titian (c. 1488/90 – 1576) [designer]
Giovanni Britto (act. c. 1530 – c. 1550) [printmaker]
Adoration of the Shepherds
woodcut
393 x 503 mm

Titian (c. 1488/90 – 1576) [designer]
Battista Franco (c. 1510 – 1561) [printmaker]
Flagellation of Christ
etching and engraving
423 x 553 mm

Titian (c. 1488/90 – 1576) [designer]
Martino Rota (c. 1520 – 1583) [printmaker]
Shepherd with His Flock and a Dog
engraving
250 x 372 mm

Anonymous [designer]
Anonymous [printmaker]
Tabula Cebetis
woodcut
565 x 1024 mm

Gabinetto dei disegni e delle stampe

Atlante delle Xilografie italiane del Rinascimento

Granziero, Rossella. A History of the Collection in the Cabinet of Drawings and Prints. In Craievich, Alberto, ed. Drawn From Life: Tiepolo, Longhi, Guardi. Verona: Scripta, 2020, pp. 17-23

Chiari, Maria Agnese. La collezione del Museo Correr. In Chiari, Maria Agnese, ed. Incisioni da Tiziano. Catalogo del fondo grafico a stampa del Museo Correr. Venice: Stamperia di Venezia, 1982, pp. 17-23