Diomedes, bust and shoulders
1790–1800
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Plate: 17 3/16 × 13 7/8 in. (43.6 × 35.2 cm) Sheet: 18 7/16 × 14 5/8 in. (46.8 × 37.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry Shaw Newman, 1941
Accession Number
41.97.574
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the commanding bust of *Diomedes, bust and shoulders*, an engraving by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, created between 1790 and 1800. Tischbein, a member of the prolific German Tischbein family of artists, was renowned for neoclassical portraits and historical scenes that evoked the grandeur of ancient Greece and Rome. Here, he captures Diomedes, the mighty warrior-hero from Homer's *Iliad*, famed for his bravery in wounding gods like Aphrodite and Ares during the Trojan War. intimate bust-and-shoulders format focuses on the hero's noble profile, idealizing his strength and valor in ...