Frontispiece to the series 'The First Twelve Roman Caesars' with the Coat of Arms of Jacopo Bosio
Medium
Etching; first state of two (Bartsch)
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 3/16 × 9 1/16 in. (31 × 23 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.3473
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant etching serves as the frontispiece for Antonio Tempesta's renowned seriesThe First Twelve Roman Caesars*, produced in 1596.atively etched by Tempesta—a prolific Italian Mannerist known for his dynamic historical scenes—and Giovanni Battista di Lazzaro Panzera da Parma, it prominently features the coat of arms Jacopo Bosio, a Roman patron. Measuring 12 3/16 × 9 1/16 inches, this first state of two (as cataloged by Bartsch) captures the Renaissance fascination with ancient Rome, blending classical grandeur with heraldic symbolism. Tags highlight motifs like bulls and keys, evoking p...
About the Artist
Antonio Tempesta|Giovanni Battista di Lazzaro Panzera da Parma · 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...