A winged figure of Fame standing facing left and sounding a trumpet

Art Historical Context

In the late Renaissance era, Italian engraver Cherubinoti (1553–1615), also known as Zaccariaia, captured the dynamic spirit of classical mythology in *A Winged Figure of Fame Standing Left and Sounding a Trumpet*. Created between 1570 and 1615, this engraving personifies Fame (Fama), a winged allegorical figure from ancient lore who proclaims heroic deeds and eternal glory. Facing left with trumpet raised, she embodies the Renaissance fascination with antiquity, virtue, and renown, often invoked in portraits and funerary art to immortalize the great. Alberti, a master of Mannerism—a stylish evolution from High Renaissance ideals—excelled in reproductive prints, translating paintings by artists like the Carracci into intricate engravings. This technique involved incising fine lines into a copper plate with a burin, inking it, and pressing paper to produce detailed, tonal images. At 12 15/16 × 7 1/16 inches, the sheet's scale allowed for elegant elongation and fluid drapery, hallmarks of Mannerist grace, making fine art accessible beyond paintings. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1951), this work highlights engraving's role in disseminating humanist ideals across Europe. The trumpet, a potent symbol, evokes both celebration and judgment, reminding viewers of fame's double-edged power in an age of patronage and discovery.

About the Artist

Cherubino Alberti (Zaccaria Mattia) · 1553–1615

Cherubino Alberti (1553–1615), also known by his birth name Zaccaria Mattia, was an Italian engraver and painter active in Rome during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Born in Borgo San Sepolcro in Tuscany, he came from an artistically inclined family and received training that equipped him for work in both painting and the reproductive graphic arts. It was as a printmaker, however,...