Sibyl Reading

Ugo da Carpi was among the first Italian printmakers to experiment with the multiblock woodcut technique known as chiaroscuro. “A Sybil Reading” was traditionally considered to be Ugo da Carpi’s earliest chiaroscuro print; however, scholars have since questioned the attribution. The work, composed with two blocks printed in ochre and black, depicts a seated woman reading a book held in her left hand. A child stands near the woman and holds a torch that illuminates the scene. The abbreviation “R V I” in the ochre block attribute to design to Raphael. The figures are reminiscent of some depicted in various drawings and paintings by Raphael, but scholars have not yet identified a specific source for the print’s composition.