Plate 113: The Greeks Battling the Trojans (Graecorum Troianorumque concursus), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'

Art Historical Context

Behold Plate 113 from Antonio Tempesta's masterful series of etchings illustrating Ovid's *Metamorph* (1606), titled *The Greeks Battling Trojans* (Graecorum Troianorum concursus). This dynamic 4-by-4-inch print captures the chaos of the Trojan War, pivotal clash from Greek mythology reimagined through the Roman poet Ovid's transformative lens. Tempesta, prolific Italian artist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, excelled in etching—a technique that allowed for intricate lines and tonal depth using acid on copper plates—making classical tales accessible to a wide audience beyond elite patrons. In this scene, armored Greek and Trojan warriors collide in fierce combat, evoking Homer's *Iliad* as filtered through Ovid's metamorphic narratives. Tempesta's mannerist style shines in the swirling figures, exaggerated poses, and meticulous details of weapons and shields, blending historical drama with mythological fervor. Produced amid Europe's renewed fascination with antiquity during the Counter-Reformation, these prints popularized epic stories, influencing artists and collectors for centuries. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this etching exemplifies how 17th-century printmaking democratized art, turning ancient battles into vivid, portable spectacles for scholars and enthusiasts alike.

About the Artist

Antonio Tempesta · 1555–1630

Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), known as 'Il Tempestino,' was a Florentine painter and printmaker whose extraordinary output of approximately 1,700 etchings made him one of the most influential printmakers of the early Baroque period. Born in Florence and trained under Santi di Tito and the Flemish master Joannes Stradanus, he enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in 1576 before relocating to Rome i...