Mucius Scaevola and Porsenna, from "Roman Heroes"
1535
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 5/8 × 3 1/8 in. (11.7 × 7.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1957
Accession Number
57.658.92
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic world of ancient Rome with Georg Pencz's *Mucius Scaevola and Porsenna*, exquisite engraving from his 153 series *Roman Heroes*. This yet powerful print (just 4 5/8 × 3 1/8 inches) captures the legendary moment when the Roman hero Mucius Scaevola, attempting to assassinate the Etruscan kingorsenna during a siege of Rome, defiantly thrusts his hand into a fire to prove his unyielding resolve. Swords gleam in the tense confrontation between these two men, symbolizing Roman stoicism triumphing over adversity—a tale from Livy's *History of Rome* that inspired Renaissance hum...
About the Artist
Georg Pencz · 1490–1550
Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits