Felice Melis Marini

Felice Melis Marini (Cagliari 1871–1953) was one of the leading Sardinian engravers of the 20th century and a central figure in the spread of etching in Sardinia, a technique on which he wrote a practical manual in 1916 that had a great influence on local artists. Trained in Rome, where he attended the Scuola Libera del Nudo and the Calcografia Nazionale, and Venice, he devoted much of his graphic production to landscapes: glimpses of Sardinian villages, views of the Cagliari pond, but also the Venetian lagoon, the canals of Milan, and the Lombard and Roman landscapes. In 1947, he contributed to the enrichment of the Prints Cabinet of the University Library of Cagliari by donating a large number of engravings, drawings, and sketches. This vast collection, which includes 492 engravings and over 1,000 sketches, notes, and drawings, provides an exemplary record of his artistic activity and his role in the history of Italian engraving.