Cenotaph for Sebastian I, King of Portugal, Basilica Farnesina, Rome, December 3, 1578
1578
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 14 15/16 in. × 10 in. (38 × 25.4 cm)
Classification
Prints|Prints-Fete|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.542.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent Basilica Farnesina in Rome on December 3, 1578, a magnificent cenotaph—an empty tomb honoring the absent body—was erected for Sebastian I, the young King of Portugal. This etching by Mario Cartaro captures the grandeur of the event, mere months after Sebastian's presumed death at the Battle of Alcáceribir in Morocco. His body was never recovered, fueling legends of his survival and prompting elaborate memorials across Europe. The print vividly depicts towering monuments adorned with coats of arms and symbolic birds, evoking the pomp of Renaissance funerals and Portugal's imperia...