Graves International Art

Marco Dente da Ravenna (1493–1527), usually just called Marco Dente, was an Italian engraver born in Ravenna in the latter part of the 15th Century. He was a prominent figure within the circle of printmakers around Marcantonio Raimondi in Rome, and is known for the imitative nature of the reproductive prints or close copies of other prints that were most of his output. His prints in specific cases are also of certain interest in that we can see the impact and design of sculptural restorations. Marco Dente was killed in the tumult of the Sack of Rome in 1527. He used the accompanying monogram, D-B; albeit sparingly. Marco Dente is not a well-known figure in the Renaissance. The reproductive nature of his works contributed to the subversion of his identity. There was much debate surrounding the attribution of artists within Marcantonio Raimondi's School, and their respective plates. Also contributing to the subversion of his identity was that every plate in Dente's studio was destroyed during the Sack of Rome. Marco Dente was killed in the same war; and very few of his plates were later reissued by publishers.

The artist was a member of a patrician family who grew up and lived in Ravenna for the majority of his life. He was an integral member of Marcantonio Raimondi's school of art, joining in 1516; Dente was likely an apprentice alongside Agostino di Musi, another Italian engraver. Dente and Agostino di Musi formed the first generation of Marcantonio's school. However, between the two artists, Dente was considered to have come closest to mastering the technique of engraving. The characteristic that defines Marco Dente's work is the reproductive nature of his works. The reproductive nature of Dente's work served three functions. The first was to replicate an event in history; the second was to advance financially; the third was to produce with an intent to distribute the print, and as an extension, the print's conceptual elements too. There was a growing demand for depictions of antique relief in the middle of the sixteenth century. The school's commercial function was facilitated by the markets within La Bottega del Cartolaio; this is largely where prints by Marcantonio and Marco Dente were able to be exchanged or acquired.