Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Portraits of the Emperors from Julius Caesar to Rudolf II
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 16 7/8 x 22 1/8 in. (42.9 x 56.2 cm) plate: 13 15/16 x 19 1/8 in. (35.4 x 48.5 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(3.97)
Tags
About this artwork
Allen & Ginter's '1st Base' from Girl Baseball Players series (N48, Type 2, 1886) represents pioneering intersection of women, sports, and commercial advertising. These albumen photograph cards measuring 2 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches were issued to promote Virginia Brights and Dixie Cigarettes. The series features two types: Type 1 shows female baseball players in polka dotted bib uniforms, often numbered; Type 2 depicts players in standard uniforms with position noted on image. In 1886, Allen & Ginter b...
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Portraits of the Emperors from Julius Caesar Rudolf II* (1582), a magnificent engraving crafted by Giovanni Ambrogio Brambilla, Claudio Duchetti and Antonio Lafreri. This expansive print, measuring nearly 17 by 22 inches on its sheet, showcases a gallery of imperial profiles spanning antiquity to the Renaissance. Beginning with Julius Caesar—whose iconic profile symbolizes the dawn of Roman dominance—and culminating with Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor reigning in 1582, it traces a lineage of power across centuries. Part of the celebrated *Specul...