Artwork
Marchese Cesare Beccaria
Marchese Cesare Beccaria is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Giovanni Antonio Sasso. It dates from 1816 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
The artist, Sasso, made this years after Beccaria died, so the face is imagined, not a real likeness.
This etching shows a man in a high-collared coat, his face half in shadow. The lines are soft, almost smudged, like pencil on rough paper.
The subject is Cesare Beccaria, an Italian thinker who wrote *On Crimes and Punishments* in 1764. His book argued against torture and the death penalty—radical ideas at the time. The artist, Sasso, made this years after Beccaria died, so the face is imagined, not a real likeness. The stipple technique (tiny dots that build up tone) gives the portrait a quiet, thoughtful mood.
To see how other artists portrayed reformers, look up the subject Cesare Beccaria.
Overview
Marchese Cesare Beccaria is a print by Giovanni Antonio Sasso, created in 1816 using etching and stipple engraving techniques.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts Cesare Beccaria, an Italian thinker who advocated for penal reform in his 1764 book *On Crimes and Punishments*. Sasso's portrait, made after Beccaria's death, presents an imagined likeness of the influential writer.
Technique & Style
The etching features soft, subtle lines and a stipple technique that creates a contemplative atmosphere. The resulting image shows Beccaria in a high-collared coat, with his face partially shaded.
Context
Beccaria's writings challenged prevailing attitudes towards punishment, arguing against torture and the death penalty. His ideas were considered radical in the 18th century.
Artist & collection
Gaspar-François de Fontenay
Abel Francois Poisson, Marquis de Marigny
Marquis de Marigny
H Beard Print Collection
Charles Francois Paul Le Normant de Tournehem
Louis-Philippe, Duc d'Orléans, and His Son, Louis-Phillipe Joseph, Duc de Chartres
Homme vêtu d'un habit en surtout à brandebourgs de camelot de soie
Louis Phelypeaux, comte de Saint Florentin
Louis XVI, King of France
Tolozan de Montfort
H Beard Print Collection
Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis