Two Satyrs Fighting Over a Nymph
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 × 1 7/8 in. (6.7 × 4.7 cm) Plate: 2 3/8 × 1 9/16 in. (6 × 4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Felix M. Warburg and his family, 1941
Accession Number
41.1.103
Tags
About this artwork
This dynamic engraving by Albrecht Altdorfer, a leading German Renaissance artist and founder of the Danube School, captures a mythological scene with remarkable precision and energy. Dating to the early 16th century (circa 1500-1538), it depicts two muscular satyrs engaged in fierce combat over a nymph, their bodies intertwined in a complex arrangement that showcases Altdorfer's understanding of anatomy, movement, and dramatic narrative. Measuring only 2 1/2 × 1 11/16 inches, this intimate engr...
Art Historical Context
In the early 16th century, Altdorfer, a pioneering German Renaissance artist and of the Danube School, this intimate engraving titled *Two Satyrs Fighting a Nymph*. Measuring just 2⅝ × 1⅞ inches, the work bursts with dynamic energy, depicting two muscular satyrs in fierce combat over a fleeing nymph. Altdorfer's masterful capture intricate anatomy, twisting bodies, and dramatic tension, blending Germanic expressiveness with classical mythology nod to the era's humanist revival of ancient tales. As a Regensburg-based innovator, Altdorfer elevated landscape and figure composition, often drawing...
About the Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer · 1475–1538
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480–1538) was a German painter, printmaker, and draftsman who stands as one of the founders of landscape painting as an independent genre. Born in Regensburg or nearby Altdorf, he learned art from his father Ulrich, a painter and miniaturist. Altdorfer spent most of his life in Regensburg, becoming a citizen in 1505 and later serving as the city's official architect and a m...