Jupiter tumbling from a horse-drawn carriage at right, Ganymede riding Jupiter's eagle upper center, below Venus and to her right, the three Graces
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 7 1/2 x 8 11/16 in. (19 x 22 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.97.328
Tags
Art Historical Context
This engraving captures a lively scene from classical mythology, with Jupiter tumbling dramatically from his horse-drawn chariot on the right, while Ganymede soars above on the god’s eagle. Below, Venus stands gracefully with the Three Graces, accompanied by Cupid and other figures, all rendered in fine detail within a compact composition measuring just 7½ by 8 11/16 inches. Created between 1530 and 1560, the print is attributed to the Master of the Die, an anonymous engraver who frequently worked after designs by Raphael. Engravings like this played a vital role in the Renaissance by allowin...
About the Artist
Master of the Die|Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) · 1525–1560
**Master of the Die** (fl. 1525–1560) was an anonymous Italian engraver and printmaker active primarily in Rome during the mid-16th century. Named for the distinctive small die he used to sign his prints—a tiny emblematic mark that became his moniker—this elusive artist remains unidentified despite scholarly proposals linking him to figures like Benedetto Verino, Giovanni Francesco Zabello, Tommas...