Death of Archimedes
Medium
etching and aquatint printed in brown on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 27.4 × 35.1 cm (10 13/16 × 13 13/16 in.) plate: 29.7 × 36.4 cm (11 11/16 × 14 5/16 in.) sheet: 29.8 × 57 cm (11 3/4 × 22 7/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund
Accession Number
2018.91.21
Art Historical Context
This 1766 print captures the dramatic final moments of the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes during the Roman siege of Syracuse in 212 BCE. According to legend, the scholar was absorbed in geometric diagrams drawn in the sand when a soldier struck him down, ignoring his plea to spare his work. The scene underscores themes of intellectual devotion amid conflict, a subject that resonated across centuries as a symbol of the fragile pursuit of knowledge. François-Philippe Charpentier created this etching and aquatint after an earlier composition by the Baroque painter Ciro Ferri, a follower ...