Corydon and Sylvia
1601/11
Medium
Engraving on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 47.7 × 34.3 cm (18 13/16 × 13 9/16 in.); Sheet: 48 × 34.9 cm (18 15/16 × 13 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
39278
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Corydon is the embodiment of the pastoral shepherd, with fabled love affairs with members of both sexes to his credit, appearing in the Roman poet Virgil’s Eclogues and other works. He appears here with one of his many paramours, and his lascivious intentions are made evident by his homely face, his firm grasp of his panpipes, and the expression of his anthropomorphic dog. The shepherdess Silvia does not always return his affection; though here she seems struck with Cupid’s dart and fondles Coro...
About the Artist
Jacob Matham · 1571–1631
**Jacob Matham: Master Engraver of Haarlem** Jacob Matham was born on October 15, 1571, in Haarlem, in the Northern Netherlands, into a burgeoning artistic milieu. Following his father's early death, his mother married the renowned painter and engraver Hendrick Goltzius in 1579, who adopted the young Jacob and trained him rigorously in the workshop as his stepson and pupil. Matham's first signed ...