A satyr about to remove drapery covering a Nymph
ca. 1510–20
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 11/16 × 5 1/16 in. (14.5 × 12.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1948
Accession Number
48.176.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the early 16th century, engraver Marcantonioondi captured a playful yet charged mythological moment in *A Satyr about to Remove Drapery Covering a N* (ca. 1510–20). This intimate engraving, measuring just 5 11/16 × 5 1/16 inches, depicts a lecherous satyr—half-man, half-goat from classical lore—gingerly lifting the veil from a graceful nymph, surrounded by frolicsome infants. These figures evoke the vibrant world of ancient Greek and Roman myths, revived during the High Renaissance as artists celebrated the human form and nature's sensual joys. Raimondi's mastery of engraving, a revolution...
About the Artist
Marcantonio Raimondi · 1475–1534
Marcantonio Raimondi (c. 1480–1534), born near Bologna, Italy, emerged as one of the Renaissance's premier engravers, revolutionizing printmaking through his mastery of reproductive techniques. He trained in the workshop of the goldsmith, painter, and niellist Francesco Francia, whose influence is evident in his early engravings, such as the goldsmith-like shading in *Pyramus and Thisbe* (1505), h...