Plate 6: Emperor Nero on Horseback, from 'The First Twelve Roman Caesars', after Tempesta
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 13/16 × 8 7/8 in. (30 × 22.6 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
51.501.3491
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking etching and engraving captures Emperor Nero, one of ancient Rome’s most notorious rulers, in a dynamic equestrian pose. Created as Plate 6 in the series “The First Twelve Roman Caesars,” the print draws on classical historical accounts to present the emperors as powerful figures on horseback. Produced between 1610 and 1650, it reflects the enduring European fascination with Roman history during the Baroque era, when such series served both educational and decorative purposes in noble and scholarly collections. The work combines the inventive designs of Italian artist Antonio Tem...
About the Artist
Antonio Tempesta|Matthäus Merian the Elder · 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...