Pegasus Crowned by a Muse
Medium
Etching
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.78.2(106)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Pegasus Crowned by a Muse*, a captivating etching attributed to the Venetian Mannerist artist Andrea Schiav (Andrea Meldola), active in the 16th century, or possibly an anonymous Italian contemporary. Created through the innovative etching technique—where acid bites into a metal plate to create intricate lines—this print exemplifies the Renaissance fascination with classical mythology. Pegasus, the mythical winged horse born from Medusa's blood and tamer of poetic inspiration, is tenderly crowned by one of the Muses, goddesses of the arts, evoking themes creativity and divine patronage...
About the Artist
Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola)|Anonymous, Italian?, 16th century · 1510–1563
Andrea Schiavone, born Andrea Meldolla around 1510 or 1515 in Zara (modern Zadar, Croatia), in Venetian-ruled Dalmatia, hailed from a family rooted in Meldola near Forlì in Romagna, Emilia-Romagna. His father, Simon Meldolla, served as a garrison commander there, and both parents originated from Meldola, where the family held property into the early 16th century. Nicknamed "Schiavone"—"the Slav"—a...