Cephalum amore perditissimo prosequitur Aurora

About this artwork

height 104 mm x width 117 mm

Art Historical Context

Antonio Tempesta's *Cephalum amore perdissimo prosequitur Aurora (1606) captures a dramatic moment from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, where the goddess Aurora (Dawn) pursues the mortal hunter Cephalus with overwhelming passion. This small etching, measuring just 104 mm high by 117 mm wide, is part of Tempesta's renowned series of 104 plates illustrating Ovid's epic tales of transformation and desire. Created in Rome during the vibrant early Baroque era, it reflects the artist's fascination with classical mythology, blending dynamic figures with atmospheric landscapes. As a master etcher, Tempesta e...

About the Artist

Antonio Tempesta · 1555–1630

Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), known as 'Il Tempestino,' was a Florentine painter and printmaker whose extraordinary output of approximately 1,700 etchings made him one of the most influential printmakers of the early Baroque period. Born in Florence and trained under Santi di Tito and the Flemish master Joannes Stradanus, he enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in 1576 before relocating to Rome i...