Seneca at the bath, standing in a niche with his feet in a basin
Medium
Engraving; third state of three (Hollstein)
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 13 3/16 × 7 5/8 in. (33.5 × 19.4 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
51.501.7651
Art Historical Context
This engraving, created around 1615, depicts the Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca standing in a niche with his feet immersed in a basin, evoking a moment of quiet reflection or ritual bathing. Designed by the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens engraved by Cornelis Galle I the print captures the dignified presence of Seneca, whose Stoic teachings on virtue and resilience resonated deeply during the early modern period. Rubens’s dynamic composition, translated through Galle’s precise line work, reflects the Baroque interest in classical antiquity and moral exemplars. As a third-state impre...