Veneziano, Agostino

, or Agostino de Musis, a very eminent engraver, was a native of Venice, and was the scholar of the celebrated Marc Antonio Raimondi. It is not certain at what period he began his studies under that great master, but the first dated print by Agostino appeared in 1509, at which time, it is probable, his tutor still resided at Venice. After the death of Raphael, which happened in 1520, Veneziano and Marc de Ravenna, his fellow- pupil, who had conjointly assisted each other, separated, and worked entirely upon their own account. When the city of Rome was taken and sacked by the Spaniards in 1527, Veneziano retired to Florence, and applied for employment to Andrea del Sarto, who was then in high repute; but del Sarto, dissatisfied with the dead Christ which he had engraved in 1516, after his design, refused to permit him to engrave any more of his pictures. Veneziano afterwards returned to Rome, where he followed his professional pursuits with great success, and where he died some time about 1540.

He generally marked his prints with the initials A.V., which were sometimes inscribed on a tablet. He imitated the style of his master with great attention, and, as far as regards manual execution, with considerable success: sometimes, indeed, he in this respect excelled Marc Antonio; but in point of taste, and in the purity and correctness of his outline, he fell far short of that distinguished artist. Good impressions of the works of Veneziano are now become extremely scarce, and a complete set is hardly to be obtained; among them will be found a few, wherein he has expressed the flesh entirely by means of stippling, in a manner which, being imitated by Boulanger, grew by degrees into what is now termed the chalk manner of engraving. ²