Orpheus
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to platemark): 7.9 × 6.2 cm (3 1/8 × 2 7/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1954.12.37
Art Historical Context
Step into the Renaissance world of intricate printmaking with *Orpheus*, a delicate engraving created by Agostino dei Mus in 1528. This Italian artist, also known as Agostino Venez, was a master engr whose works bridged the High Renaissance and emerging Mannerist styles. Measuring just 7.9 × 6.2 cm—trimmed precisely to the platemark print on laid paper captures the mythological musician Orpheus, evoking themes of harmony, loss, and the power of art from classical antiquity. Engraving, Musi's chosen medium, involved meticulously incising fine lines into a copper plate, inking it, and pressing ...