A sacrifice, copied from Trajan's column
ca. 1540–45
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 10 1/2 × 18 5/8 in. (26.7 × 47.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.95.822
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of Renaissance Europe, Léon Davent's etching *A Sacrifice, Copied from Trajan's* (ca. 1540–45) captures a dramatic ritual scene from one of ancient Rome's most iconic monuments. Trajan's Column, erected in 113 CE to commemorate Emperor Trajan's victories in the Dacian Wars spirals with intricate reliefs depicting battles, triumphs, and ceremonies—including animal sacrifices like this one. Davent meticulously reproduces the low-relief figures of men, women, animals, and weapons in action, preserving the column's narrative energy for 16th-century audiences hungry for classical antiq...