Castiglione

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One of the great artists of the Baroque, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609-64) was perhaps the most innovative and technically brilliant Italian draftsman of his time. He practised as a painter, but won fame for his drawings and prints. Castiglione worked in oils on paper to produce large, vibrant compositions, and combined drawing and printmaking to invent the technique of monotype. Despite leading a violent and turbulent life, he produced works of grace and rare beauty, which were highly esteemed for a century after his death. But Castiglione unaccountably fell from fame in the modern era. The Royal Collection holds the finest surviving group of the artist's works. 0Exhibition: The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, UK (11.2013).