Castiglione made some sixty etchings, characterized by the lively handling and highly personal content present throughout his work. He was influenced by Anthony van Dyck, in whose studio he worked in Genoa, and later by the etchings of Rembrandt, just a few years his senior, working in Amsterdam. Castiglione etched this autobiographical image in Genoa and brought the plate to Rome in 1647; it was published in 1648. The seated young man holding a trumpet and a book represents Fame, also alluded to by the putto holding a trumpet and pointing to a laurel wreath. The rabbit and the basket with birds symbolize fruitfulness. The palette and brushes and the music on the ground refer to the arts, although their place on the ground and the crumpled state of the sheet of music suggest a pessimistic hint at the futlility of human accomplishment. Further, although the base supporting a bust is sculpted with laurel, it is overgrown with grass. 'The Genius of Castiglione' was dedicated to Matthys van de Merwede, Lord of Clootwyck, a Dutch nobleman and patron of the arts who lived in Italy from 1647 to 1650.
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<P>Castiglione made some sixty etchings, characterized by the lively handling and highly personal content present throughout his work. He was influenced by Anthony van Dyck, in whose studio he worked in Genoa, and later by the etchings of Rembrandt, just a few years his senior, working in Amsterdam. Castiglione etched this autobiographical image in Genoa and brought the plate to Rome in 1647; it was published in 1648. The seated young man holding a trumpet and a book represents Fame, also alluded to by the putto holding a trumpet and pointing to a laurel wreath. The rabbit and the basket with birds symbolize fruitfulness. The palette and brushes and the music on the ground refer to the arts, although their place on the ground and the crumpled state of the sheet of music suggest a pessimistic hint at the futlility of human accomplishment. Further, although the base supporting a bust is sculpted with laurel, it is overgrown with grass. 'The Genius of Castiglione' was dedicated to Matthys van de Merwede, Lord of Clootwyck, a Dutch nobleman and patron of the arts who lived in Italy from 1647 to 1650.</P>
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