Early 20C Medici Print of Putti Under a Vine

Published by Nevan O Shaughnessy on September 22, 2023September 22, 2023

PRESENTING A GLORIOUS & RARE Early 20C Medici Print of ‘Putti Under a Vine’.

From the very early 20th Century, circa 1911.

Framed and sold by Foster Bros. of Park Square, Boston. The sole agents for the Medici Society in the US.

Has the original label on the rear (see photos) which states:

“Putio under a Vine, by B. Suarde (Bramantine). from the Original fresco in the Brira Palace, Milan, (19 3/4 x 25 1/2 inches).

(Medici Print, Plate XXIX).

Published by the Medici Society, Ltd.”

It also has the Foster Bros gilt plate on the rear of the original frame marked:

” Pat. Sept. 12, 1911. John R. Foster.”

This was an expensive print in 1911, costing the equivalent of over $500 in today’s dollars. It has also appreciated in value since!

Established by Stephen Bartlett Foster (1856-1932) and John Roy Foster (1863-1931), Foster Brothers opened in 1893 at 164 Boylston Street, Boston. Makers of picture frames, mirrors, etc. Also sold prints and reproductions.

The Medici Society Ltd was founded in 1908 by Philip Lee Warner and Eustace Gurney. The company’s original aim was to bring artists’ work to the appreciation of a wider public through technically cutting edge high-end colour reproductions, with subjects chosen for their artistic value, beauty or sentiment sold “for the lowest price commercially possible”.

The name Medici was chosen as a homage to the great Florentine family who did so much to encourage art in the Italian Renaissance. The profile of Lorenzo de’ Medici (1449 – 1492), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was incorporated into the trade mark.

Initially, the business was run as a society, and members were invited to join and pay a subscription which entitled them to copies of prints as they were published at no extra charge. This structure was later revised and the prints were sold commercially through shops and galleries, but the company retains the Medici Society name to this day. As a result of this comparatively unusual name, many people think that it might be a charitable organisation, but this is not the case. Medici started to publish greeting cards in the 1930s, and some of the artists whose work was published in those days are still in print today.

In 2008 the company sold its greeting card division to the The Great British Card Company, who now publish greeting cards using the name ‘Medici’ under licence as Medici Cards. However, The Medici Society Ltd continues to publish its Fine Art Reproduction Prints, and to licence out permissions to reproduce our extensive archive of imagery through Mary Evans Picture Library. It also continues to retail cards and prints at Medici Gallery South Kensington and to sell original Fine Art at Medici Gallery in Mayfair.

Link: http://www.medici.co.uk/pg/52/Company-History

Early 20C Medici Print of Putti Under a Vine.

Provenance: From a Wealthy Dallas Estate.

Dimensions: 18.75 inches x 15 inches (In Frame)

Condition: The Print itself, is in good condition for it’s age. Very minor fading from age (as one would expect). The Original frame has been re-gilded. Under glass.