Plate 125: Aurora Asking Jupiter to Honor Memnon (Aurora a Iove Memnoni, mortis honorem petit), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'

Art Historical Context

In Plate 125 from Antonio Tempesta's renowned 1606 series of 138 etchings illustrating Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, the dawn goddess Aurora kneels before Jupiter, pleading for him to honor her son Mem, the Ethiopian king slain by Achilles during the Trojan War. This moment captures a pivotal episode from Book 13, where Jupiter responds by sending flocks of birds that clash in aerial combat, their fallen feathers forming a lasting memorial. Tempesta, a prolific Italian artist of the late Mannerist and early Baroque periods, masterfully distilled classical mythology into dynamic, narrative-driven prints, reflecting the Renaissance fascination with ancient texts. Etched on a compact 4 x 4⅝-inch sheet, this work exemplifies Tempesta's virtuoso technique: fine, fluid lines incised into a metal plate with acid, allowing for intricate details like the majestic eagles symbolizing Jupiter's divine power and the emotional intensity of Aurora's supplication. Produced in Rome amid a booming market for affordable book illustrations, these prints made Ovid's transformative tales accessible to scholars and collectors alike. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece from The Elisha Whittelsey Collection highlights the enduring cultural reverence for Greco-Roman myths, blending drama, divinity, and delicate artistry in a format that once adorned lavish volumes.

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...