Midae ob iudicij crassitiem aures asininae

About this artwork

Deze prent maakt deel uit van een reeks van 150 prenten (+ titelprent) met voorstellingen van de Metamorfosen van Ovidius.

Art Historical Context

Antonio Tempesta's etching *Midae ob iudicij crassitiem aures asininae* (1606) captures a whimsical yet cautionary moment from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, the ancient Roman poet's epic tales of transformation. This small-scale print (104 × 117 mm) depicts the myth of King Midas, who, after foolishly judging Pan's music superior to Apollo's in a contest, is punished with donkey ears—a symbol of his poor judgment. Tempesta, a prolific Italian artist active in late Mannerist and early Baroque circles, masterfully rendered this scene as part of his monumental series of 150 etchings (+ title print) ill...

About the Artist

Antonio Tempesta · 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...