Plate119: The Death of Ajax (Aiax moretm Sibi consciscens, in florem abit), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'
1606
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 15/16 × 4 9/16 in. (10 × 11.6 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
51.501.3970
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold Plate 119 from Antonioesta's masterful series of etchings illustrating Ovid's *Metamorph* (1606), titled *The Death of Ajax (Aiax mortem Sibi conscisc, in florem abit. This poignant scene captures the tragic suicide of the Greek hero Ajax son of Telamon, classical mythology. After losing the contest for Achilles' armor to, Ajax falls into madness, slaughters a flock of sheep in rage, and ultimately impales himself on his sword Ovid describes his blood transforming into a flower inscribed with "AIAI," a lament echoing his name—a vivid emblem of metamorphosis and fleeting heroism. Italia...
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...