Leopold I of Austria as Jupiter with his wife enthroned in the clouds, looking down on the struggling giants below
ca. 1659–82
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 18 5/8 × 12 13/16 in. (47.3 × 32.6 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
51.501.2863
Art Historical Context
This striking engraving, created by Mathäus Küsel after a design by Mauro Oddi around 1659–82, portrays Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I as the god Jupiter. Seated with his wife among billowing clouds, the imperial couple gazes down upon the chaotic struggle of giants below. The dramatic composition transforms a classical myth into a powerful visual statement of divine authority and order triumphing over rebellion. Leopold I ruled during a turbulent period marked by conflicts with the Ottoman Empire and internal challenges to Habsburg power. By casting the emperor in the role of Jupiter—the supre...
About the Artist
Mathäus Küsel|Mauro Oddi · 1629–1681
Matthäus Küsel (1629–1681) was a distinguished German copper engraver who achieved prominence as court engraver to the Holy Roman Emperor, earning the prestigious title of imperial court engraver (Hofkupferstecher). Born into the renowned Augsburg engraving and goldsmith family Küsel, Matthäus represented the height of German reproductive engraving in the Baroque period. His extensive oeuvre encom...