Plate 6: Emperor Nero on Horseback, from 'The First Twelve Roman Caesars', after Tempesta

Art Historical Context

This striking etching and engraving captures Emperor Nero, one of ancient Rome’s most notorious rulers, in a dynamic equestrian pose. Created as Plate 6 in the series “The First Twelve Roman Caesars,” the print draws on classical historical accounts to present the emperors as powerful figures on horseback. Produced between 1610 and 1650, it reflects the enduring European fascination with Roman history during the Baroque era, when such series served both educational and decorative purposes in noble and scholarly collections. The work combines the inventive designs of Italian artist Antonio Tempesta, renowned for his lively battle and equestrian scenes, with the precise engraving skills of Matthäus Merian the Elder. Their collaboration highlights the 17th-century printmaking tradition, where etching allowed fluid lines and engraving added crisp detail, enabling wide circulation of images that might otherwise have remained paintings or frescoes. At roughly 30 by 22.6 centimeters, the sheet demonstrates how prints made grand historical subjects accessible beyond royal courts. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum’s Drawings and Prints collection, this piece offers viewers a window into how early modern artists reimagined antiquity for contemporary audiences, blending historical narrative with technical artistry.

About the Artist

Antonio Tempesta|Matthäus Merian the Elder · 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...