Plato's Cave
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 33.7 x 45 cm (13 1/4 x 17 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1983.61.1
Art Historical Context
Created in 1604, *Plato’s Cave* captures the famous allegory from Plato’s *Republic*, in which prisoners chained in a cave mistake flickering shadows for reality. Jan Pietersz Saenredam, a leading Dutch engraver, translated a design by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem into this large print, allowing viewers across Europe to contemplate the philosopher’s ideas about perception, knowledge, and enlightenment. The choice of engraving on laid paper was ideal for the subject. The medium’s capacity for fine lines and subtle tonal gradations lets Saenredam render dramatic contrasts between light and sh...