The Forge of Vulcan
1546
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 11 3/16 x 14 13/16 in. (28.4 x 37.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.904
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling workshop of the gods, Cornelis Bos's *The Forge of Vulcan* (1546) captures a dynamic mythological scene from classical antiquity. The Dutch engraver depicts Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking, amid his muscular assistants—likely cyclopes—hammering away at an anvil. Surrounded by female nudes possibly Venus or her attendants, the composition pulses with energy, blending male and female forms in a celebration of the human body. This engraving, measuring 11 3/16 x 14 13/16 inches, now resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to...
About the Artist
Cornelis Bos · 1510–1556
Cornelis Bos (c. 1506/10–before 1555), a Netherlandish engraver, printseller, and publisher born in 's-Hertogenbosch, emerged as a pivotal figure in the Antwerp print trade during the mid-16th century. His early life remains sparsely documented, with no records of formal training or mentors, though he was active in Antwerp by 1537, producing his earliest known engraving, *Prudence and Justice*, af...