A fine late 18th-century Italian aquatint depicting an eagle with outstretched wings confronting a coiled serpent, enclosed within an ornamental wreath of oak leaves and tied with a ribbon.
Designed by Giocondo Albertolli (1742–1839) and engraved by his nephew Raffaello Albertolli (1770–1812), the work is dated 1793 and was published in Milan in 1796 as plate XI of Miscellanea per i giovani studiosi del disegno.
Giocondo Albertolli was a celebrated neoclassical designer and professor of ornament at the Brera Academy in Milan, whose designs were highly influential in European decorative arts.
Printed in rich brown ink, retaining the original inscriptions and presented in a black moulded frame. The sheet has been trimmed close to the plate mark, with some age-related discolouration.
