Un mattino di settembre [A September Morning]

Turletti combined traditional etching with the roulette tool—a spiked wheel used to create stippled textures—to achieve nuanced tonal transitions. The trunks of trees are defined by deeper, linear incisions, while the foliage and grass are built from layered dots and fine lines. This method allows for a tactile surface that mimics the roughness of bark and the softness of moss, enhancing the sensory immersion of the scene without color.

The print was produced during Turletti’s active period in northern Italy, where he focused on landscape etchings inspired by regional woodlands. Though not widely exhibited in his lifetime, the work was likely circulated among private collectors and print enthusiasts familiar with the Italian etching revival of the late 19th century. Its current whereabouts are not publicly documented beyond institutional holdings.

Turletti’s work emerged alongside a broader European interest in intimate, naturalistic prints, influenced by French and English etchers who favored atmospheric landscapes over grand narratives. In Italy, such works offered a quiet counterpoint to academic painting, appealing to those seeking personal, meditative imagery. His use of monochrome aligned with the period’s appreciation for printmaking’s capacity for subtlety and restraint.

Though not widely known today, Un mattino di settembre exemplifies the quiet sophistication of late 19th-century Italian printmaking. Turletti’s technique influenced a small circle of regional artists who valued texture and tone over dramatic effect. The work remains a quiet testament to the potential of etching to convey serenity through precision and minimalism, appreciated more by specialists than the general public.