Raimondi, Marcantonio

Raimondi, Marcantonio (b ?Argini, nr. Bologna, c.1480; d ?Bologna, 1527/34).
Italian line engraver, a pioneer in the use of prints to reproduce the work of other artists. He studied in Bologna with Francia, and from about 1506 to 1508 lived in Venice, where he learned much from Dürer's engravings (Dürer, indeed, brought legal proceedings against him for plagiarism). In about 1510 he settled in Rome, and thereafter worked mainly for Raphael, his engravings helping to spread the master's style throughout Europe. Apart from his association with Raphael, Raimondi is best known for a series of erotic engravings (after designs by Giulio Romano) that led to his imprisonment in 1524. He left Rome after the Sack of 1527 and died in obscurity.