Cupid wrestling with Pan, amongst the clouds, with two allegorical women seated at left
Cavaliere d'Arpino (Giuseppe Cesari)|Hendrick Goltzius|Jacob Matham, 1598–1632
About this artwork
Behold *Cupid wrestling with Pan, amongst the clouds, with twoorical women seated at left a dynamic engraving from the late 16th to early 17th century, blending Italian and Dutch mastery. Designed by the Italian Mannerist painter Giuseppe Cesari, known as Cavaliere d'Arpino, and engraved by the renowned Dutch artists Hendrick Goltzius his pupil Jacob Matham this print captures a mythological tussle symbolizing love's triumph over lust. Cupid, the god of desire, grapples with the rustic Pan amid swirling clouds, while two seated female figures—likely allegories of Victory and Virtue—observe from the left, evoking Renaissance ideals of moral allegory. As a second state of five in the engraving process, this sheet (trimmed to 10 7/8 × 16 1/16 in.) showcases the meticulous technique of burin work, where lines swell and taper to mimic the swelling forms of Mannerist figures. Goltzius, a printmaking innovator, elevated engraving to rival painting, influencing artists across Europe. Produced during a golden age of reproductive prints, it allowed widespread dissemination of elite designs. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), this work reflects the era's cultural exchange between Italy and the Netherlands, bridging Mannerism's elegance with Northern precision for patrons hungry for erudite decoration.