The Triumph of Neptune and Thetis
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 27.8 x 41.1 cm (10 15/16 x 16 3/16 in.) (trimmed within plate mark)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
Accession Number
2012.92.540
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Triumph of Neptune and Thetis*, a captivating 1614 engraving by Dutch artist Jacob Matham, faithfully reproducing a design by the esteemed Mannerist painter Bartholomaeus Spranger. This mythological scene depicts the sea god Neptune in victorious procession with the nymph Thetis, surrounded by swirling figures of sea deities, tritons, and fantastical creatures. Spranger, a key figure in the Prague court of Emperor Rudolf II, was renowned for his elegant, elongated forms and sensual dynamism—hallmarks of Northern Mannerism that Matham meticulously captures through intricate line wor...