The Prophecy of Basilides
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
plate: 14 7/8 x 29 in. (37.8 x 73.7 cm) sheet: 15 3/16 x 29 13/16 in. (38.5 x 75.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Grace M. Pugh, 1985
Accession Number
1986.1180.687
Art Historical Context
Created around 1650, *The Prophecy of Basilides* is a striking large-scale etching by Pietro Testa, an Italian artist active in Rome during the Baroque era. The elongated format—nearly fifteen by thirty inches—suggests a panoramic narrative scene, likely drawing on ancient philosophical or religious themes centered around the early Christian thinker Basilides. Testa, who worked primarily as a printmaker, often explored allegorical subjects with emotional depth and classical references. Etching allowed Testa to achieve remarkably fine lines and tonal variety, making the medium ideal for distri...