River Landscape with Mercury Abducting Psyche
Medium
Etching; first state of two
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 11/16 x 13 3/8 in. (27.2 x 34 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1946
Accession Number
46.110.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, etching, *River Landscape with Mercury Abducting Psyche* (ca. 1595), showcases a rare collaboration among three Northern Renaissance masters: Simon Novellanus, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and Joris Hoefnagel. Produced as a first-state impression on a generous sheet measuring 10 11/16 x 13 3/8 inches, it exemplifies the era's innovative printmaking techniques. Etching, with its fluid lines achieved through acid biting into metal plates, allowed for intricate details and broader dissemination of complex imagery beyond paintings, making art accessible to collectors across ...
About the Artist
Simon Novellanus|Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Joris Hoefnagel ( |Netherlandish|Netherlandish) · 0016 |1525 |1542 –0016 |1569 |1600
Netherlandish, 16th century|Netherlandish, Breda (?) ca. 1525–1569 Brussels|Netherlandish, Antwerp 1542–1600 Vienna