[STRONGMAN] Double-Sided Woodblock Depicting Strongman Giuseppe Crociani. Italy, ca. 1835. On the recto, the strongman demonstrates his abilities by pulling against two horses while laying atop a ladder-like structure as the horse trainer, whip in hand, looks on and encourages the team; the verso depicts a pantomime scene in which a harlequin is shot from the mouth of a cannon toward a damsel in a tower, while soldiers and a wizard look on. Deeply carved in a hardwood board bound with metal brackets on each end. A large example, 12 x 18?. Sold together two modern prints, one pulled from each side of the block by Patrick Reagh. Displayed as part of Ricky Jay?s Extraordinary Exhibitions, Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), 2007.