'Anno 1690' (the Year 1690), with numerous warring figures clambering on and hanging from the numbers, allusions to the Allegories of the Four Elements and the Four Continents
ca. 1690
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 8 1/8 × 12 5/16 in. (20.7 × 31.2 cm) Sheet: 9 9/16 × 13 11/16 in. (24.3 × 34.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Christie's Inc. Gift, 2016
Accession Number
2016.313
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Maria Mitelli's etching *Anno 1690* (ca. 1690) the digits of the year into a battlefield, where warring figures clamber, hang, and clash amid cannons, flags, horses, and men in fierce combat. This dynamic composition captures a sense of turmoil, with the numbers themselves serving as precarious scaffolds for the fray. As a master Bolognese printmaker, Mitelli employs the intricate lines of etching to render fine details, from billowing flags to straining muscles, inviting viewers to pore over the bustling scene. The work alludes to traditional Baroque allegories of the Four Elements—...
About the Artist
Giuseppe Maria Mitelli · 1634–1718
Comment on works: History; Religious