Plate 15: The Daughter of Croneus Changed into a Cow (Coronis in cornicem transformatur), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'

Art Historical Context

Behold Plate 15 from Antonio Tempesta's captivating 1606 series of etchings illustrating Ovid's *Metamorph*, titled *The Daughter of Cron Changed into a Cow (onis in cornicemformatur)*. This etching, measuring just 4 1/16 × 4 5/8 inches, a dramatic moment from classical mythology: the transformation of Coronis, daughter of Phlegyas (often linked to Cronus in interpretive traditions), into a crow as punishment by Apollo for betrayal. Tempesta, a prolific Florentine artist of the late Mannerist and early Baroque periods, masterfully rendered the scene with dynamic figures including women, men, and fantastical seahorses, evoking the chaotic wonder of Ovid's tales. Etching allowed Tempesta to achieve fine, expressive lines and intricate details on a small scale, making these prints accessible luxury items for 17th-century collectors. His style blends classical humanism with lively narrative energy, influencing later Baroque illustrators. This plate exemplifies the Renaissance revival of ancient myths, where gods wield transformative powers amid swirling hybrid creatures, blending human drama with the marvelous. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of The Elisha Whittelsey Collection (1951), it invites visitors to ponder timeless themes of jealousy, metamorphosis, and the divine gaze—perfect for contemplating how 2,000-year-old stories still stir the imagination.

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...