A young naked man standing at left leaning on the trunk, another seen from behind, holding two snakes in his right hand and a convex mirror in his raised left hand

Art Historical Context

This striking engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi dated around 1510–27, captures a dynamic scene of two male nudes amid symbolic elements: a young man leans casually against a tree trunk at left, while another figure, viewed from behind, grips two writhing snakes in his right hand and raises a convex mirror in his left. Rendered on a modest sheet of 8¼ × 5⅝ inches, the work exemplifies the High Renaissance fascination with classical antiquity, human anatomy, and optical intrigue. The snakes evoke mythological peril or transformation—perhaps alluding to figures like Laocoön—while the convex mirro...

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...