Tarquin and Lucretia
c. 1571
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 42 × 28.8 cm (16 9/16 × 11 3/8 in.); Sheet: 42.4 × 29.1 cm (16 3/4 × 11 1/2 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
154012
Art Historical Context
Behold *Tarquin and Lucret*, a striking engraving by the renowned Dutch printmaker Cornelis Cort, around 1571. This work captures a dramatic moment from ancient Roman legend, as recounted by Livy: the tyrannical prince Sextus Tarquinius assaults the virtuous Lucretia, an event that sparked the revolt against the monarchy and the birth of the Roman Republic. Cort, a master engraver active in Antwerp and Italy, often reproduced compositions by leading painters like Maarten van Heemskerck, bringing classical tales to a wider audience during the Renaissance. Executed in black ink on ivory laid pa...
About the Artist
Cornelis Cort · 1533–1578
Comment on works: copper engraver; engraver; etcher