Atalanta and Hippomemes, in the foreground Atalanta kneeling to pick up an apple and Hippomemes running with an apple in either hand, in the landscape background Atalanta running, from a series of four mythological scenes

Art Historical Context

This delicate engraving by Virgil Solis captures a pivotal moment from the Greek myth of Atalanta and Hippomenes, drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In the foreground, Atalanta kneels to retrieve a golden apple while Hippomenes sprints ahead clutching two more, their contest unfolding against a sweeping landscape that shows the same figures racing in the distance. Created between 1535 and 1562, the print belongs to a series of four mythological scenes designed for intimate viewing. Solis, a prolific German printmaker active in Nuremberg, specialized in finely detailed engravings that brought classical stories to a wide audience. The small format—just over two by three-and-a-half inches—allowed these works to circulate easily as book illustrations or collectible sheets. Using precise line work typical of Northern Renaissance engraving, Solis conveys both the speed of the race and the quiet tension of the apple’s distraction. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s collection of prints and drawings, the work highlights how 16th-century artists used the reproducible medium of engraving to share timeless tales of love, competition, and transformation with viewers across Europe.