Giulio Bonasone (c1531 - c1577). Giulio Bonasone was an Italian painter and engraver born in Bologna. He possibly studied painting under Lorenzo Sabbatini, and painted a Purgatory for the church of San Stefano, but all his paintings have been lost. He is better known as an engraver and is believed to have trained with Marcantonio Raimondi. He worked mainly in Mantua, Rome and Venice and with great success, producing etchings and engravings after the old masters and his own designs. He signed his plates B., I.B., Julio Bonaso, Julio Bonasone, Juli Bonasonis, Julio Bolognese Bonahso. He has been regarded an engraver with extraordinary skills in reproducing, as he could accurately convey the sources' compositions, colours, and essence. Moreover, he expressed his understanding about the controversies about religion and culture in his time through his prints. He is considered among the most important and productive engravers of the sixteenth century. There are debates about the birth date of Giulio Bonasone due to the lack of documentation. Since he was active during 1531 to 1571, his birthday could be placed around 1513 or earlier if engraving was a part of his formal education. One reason to believe that he was still a student in 1531 is that the work dated to 1531 lacks craftsmanship and familiarity with anatomy. Giulio Bonasone's work does not appear in published collections of documents nor in the state archives of Bologna. In one document, Bonasone is related to Compagnia dello Quattro Arte and is mentioned to be an auditor of the Guild. Nonetheless, no first name was given and his name was not found in the very few extant name lists of the Compagnia. Giulio Bonasone produced both engravings and etchings, and frequently a combination of both in a single work. His works include religious, secular as well as erotic content. A total of 357 prints are attributed to Bonasone, approximately 200 of which can be dated with some certainty. Bonasone's prints include 9 Old Testament Scenes, 35 New Testament Scenes, 25 about the Virgin, 8 concerning the Saints, 5 regarding historical events, 150 about parables, 85 dealing with mythology, 5 fantasies, 6 portraits and 6 about architecture. His prints usually come as series. For instance, he dedicated 22 to Loves of the Gods, 26 recounting the Life of Juno and a series of 22 prints about the Passion of Christ. According to Giulio Bonasone's own claim, more than 114 prints, not counting the ones he produced for Bocchi, are his original works. In fact, many of the 150 illustrative prints for Bocchi are his own designs as well. His own creations are usually labelled with Giulio Bonasone Inventore or something similar. His engravings after other artists' designs can be categorized into two groups: those that closely replicate the original work, such as the Creation of Eve after Michelangelo, and those incorporating changes at Bonasone's will, such as Clelia Crossing the Tiber after Polidoro. The latter were often labelled by him as imitations. Bonasone was quite selective in choosing the artists after whom to work. He favoured the great masters of the sixteenth century. He made eighteen prints for the works of Raphael and his school, eleven prints for Michelangelo, fourteen for Giulio Romano and ten for Parmigianino. Primaticcio and Jacopino del Conte inspired one engraving work, Perino del Vaga inspired five, Poliodoro da Caravaggio was the source of two and Titian was the source for more than five. Antique sculpture, especially reliefs, was also a great source of inspiration for him. He modelled sixteen prints after classical sources and specific models can be found for at least five. It seems that Bonasone started his career during the 1530s, when the earliest of his engravings can be dated. Among them is the St Cecilia, which is a rough attempt in reproducing Raphael's work. The pervasive use of straight hatching lines, an indication of his awkward technique, is the evidence for it being an early work. Another work of Bonasone, Adam and Eve Toiling, also demonstrates a clumsiness. The Triumph of Bacchus was executed at a slightly later time. This etching presents more advanced skills and clearer lines, but the presence of straight hatching lines is still a major problem in Bonasone's technique. This absence of contouring lines leads to a lack of depth in figures and makes the figures less real. In the Triumph of Bacchus, contrasting tones resemble the use of light and shade in painting. This later became an identifying feature of Bonasone's prints.