At Nympharum Hecates Scapulis Timor Addidit Alas

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching by Léon Davent captures a moment of mythological drama, as suggested by its evocative Latin title: “But Fear added wings to the shoulders of Hecate’s nymphs.” Created between 1526 and 1550, the small print depicts graceful nymphs moving through a wooded landscape, their forms intertwined with trees and foliage. Davent, a French printmaker active during the School of Fontainebleau, specialized in translating the elegant, elongated figures and fantastical subjects favored by court artists into the more accessible medium of etching. Etching allowed artists like Davent to ac...