Leaping Horseman (Marcus Curtius)
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut from two blocks in brown
Dimensions
Mount: 12 11/16 in. × 10 7/16 in. (32.3 × 26.5 cm) Sheet: 9 1/16 × 7 5/16 in. (23 × 18.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.73.3-67
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking chiaroscuro woodcut captures the legendary Roman hero Marcus Curtius leaping on horseback into a fiery chasm to save the city of Rome. Created around 1560–70, the print draws on a classical tale of self-sacrifice, rendered with dramatic energy that reflects the bold compositions favored by Giovanni Antonio da Pordenone, a leading Venetian Mannerist painter. Nicolò Boldrini, the skilled printmaker, translated Pordenone’s dynamic design into this two-block woodcut printed in warm brown tones. The medium itself highlights an important Renaissance innovation. Chiaroscuro woodcuts us...