Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Apolinis (Apolinis in uiridario Magni Ducis Etruriae)
16th century
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 16 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. (42.3 x 33.3 cm) plate: 4 15/16 x 3 1/8 in. (12.5 x 8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.72(2.166)
Tags
About this artwork
This engraving depicts a statue of Apollo in the gardens of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, part of the "Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae" series published in the 16th century. The print shows a classical sculpture rendered with attention to the figure's proportions, pose, and anatomical details. The statue represents Apollo, the Greek and Roman god of music, poetry, and the arts, captured in a contrapposto stance typical of classical sculpture. The engraving was created by Philippe Thomassin, a Frenc...
About the Artist
Anonymous|Philippe Thomassin|Antonio Lafreri
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...