Mauro Gandolfi stands out among the Gandolfi family as the most modern and internationally engaged artist. Unlike his father Gaetano and uncle Ubaldo, Mauro traveled extensively across Europe and America, absorbing diverse artistic influences. His time in Paris (1782–87 and 1801–06) and later in America shaped his mastery of drawing and printmaking, especially copperplate engraving.

From 1798 onward, Mauro focused on printmaking, supported by Bologna’s Istituto delle Scienze e delle Arti. He elevated drawing to an autonomous art form, producing works as refined as engravings. His unpublished drawing, rendered in hatching and heightened with oxidized silver and gold, simulates mezzotint effects and evokes miniature painting and Flemish tapestries. Dated between 1815 and 1820, it reflects his innovative fusion of techniques and his vision of drawing as a complete, modern art form—challenging traditional boundaries and redefining artistic hierarchies.