The Rape of a Sabine Woman, Frontal View
c. 1598
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Sheet, trimmed within platemark: 42 × 28 cm (16 9/16 × 11 1/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
123078
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, engraver Jan Harmensz. Muller the dramatic intensity of classical mythology in *The Rape of a Sabine, Frontal View*c. 1598). This engraving depicts a tumultuous scene from Roman legend, where early Romans abducted women from the neighboring Sabines to secure wives and ensure the city's survival. Muller's composition thrusts the viewer into the chaos, with a central female figure in a dynamic, frontal pose amid swirling figures, embodying the raw emotion and violence of the myth—a popular subject in Renaissance art symbolizing both brutality and foundational heroism. ...
About the Artist
Jan Harmensz. Muller · 1571–1628
Comment on works: Printer and Draughtsman