Rhea Silvia

Art Historical Context

Behold *Rhea Silvia*, a captivating engraving by Heinrich Aldegrever, one of the renowned "Little Masters" of the Renaissance. Created between 1501 and 1550, this print draws from Roman mythology, depictinghea Silvia, the Vest Virgin destined to become the mother of Romulus and Remus, Rome's legendary founders. Aldegre, a German artist from Soest active in the th century, masterfully rendered such classical tales in intricate detail, blending humanist learning with the meticulous line work of engraving. As a print from the Rosenwald Collection at the National Gallery of Art, *Rhea Silvia* exe...

About the Artist

Heinrich Aldegrever · 1502–1561

Heinrich Aldegrever, born in 1502 in Paderborn, Westphalia, to parents Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker—a family of clog-makers known by the dialect name Trippenmecker—emerged as a multifaceted artist in the German Renaissance. His early training remains undocumented, though he likely apprenticed in a Soest goldsmith's workshop after relocating there around 1525, where he joined the painters' gui...