Allegory of Life
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
image: 38.1 × 54.4 cm · secondary support: 43.1 × 59.4 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1985.37
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
male
About this artwork
This engraving presents a complex allegory whose complete meaning remains unclear, although the plaques at the feet of the man and woman may provide one clue. The inscriptions come from the sixth book of Virgil’s Aeneid: "He who sits unfortunate will sit forever," and "Do not yield to adversities, but go out to meet them bravely." The print’s details do not correspond directly to any episode from Virgil, although book six, in which Aeneas descends into the underworld, is an allegory of human lif...