Two Wrestlers, from Wrestlers, plate 4
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 3/4 x 7 5/8 in. (24.7 x 19.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.95.2331(3)
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Two Wrestlers, fromlers, plate 4" (1552) is a dynamic print by Dutch artist Maarten van Heemerck, with engraving by Dirck Volcksz Coornhert. Part of a celebrated series depicting athletic combat, this etching and engraving captures two muscular men locked in a tense grapple, showcasing the raw power and skill of wrestling. Measuring 9 3/4 x 7 5/8 inches, it exemplifies 16th-century Northern Renaissance printmaking, where detailed line work allowed intricate anatomical studies to reach wide audiences beyond paintings. Heemskerck, influenced by his travels to Italy, infused Mannerist elements—...