A Sibyl Reading a book facing right
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut from two blocks in brown
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 1/8 × 8 7/8 in. (28.2 × 22.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.73.3-12
Art Historical Context
In the High Renaissance spirit of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino), this captivating chiaroscuro woodcut, *A Sibyl Reading a Book Facing Right*, was crafted around 1517–18 by innovative printmaker Ugo da Carpi. Depicting a prophetic Sibyl—ancient female seers from classical mythology—deep in contemplation with an open book, the image echoes Raphael's graceful figures, likely derived from his lost drawing or a related composition. Printed on a modest sheet (11 1/8 × 8 7/8 in.), it now resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, acquired via the Rogers Fund in...
About the Artist
Ugo da Carpi|Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) · 1480–1535
Comment on works: Painter; Woodcutter