Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Hercules (Hercules in aedibus Card. Burghesij)
16th century
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 16 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. (42.3 x 33.3 cm) plate: 4 15/16 x 3 1/8 in. (12.5 x 8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.72(2.162)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Hercules (Hercules in aedibus Card. Burghesij) by Anonymous|Philippe Thomassin|Antonio Lafreri, 16th century. Created in Engraving, this work exemplifies the artistic practices and cultural values of its period. The piece reflects the technical skills and aesthetic sensibilities characteristic of its historical and cultural context. As part of the Drawings and Prints collection, it contributes to our understanding of artistic development and cultural expression. ...
Art Historical Context
Step into the Renaissance fascination with ancient Rome through *Speculum Romanae Magniae: Hercules (Hules in aedibus. Burghesij)*, a 16th-century from the esteemed collection of publisher Antonio Lafreri, possible contributions from Philippe Thomassin and an anonymous artist. Part of Lafreri's renowned *Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae—a compendium of over 600 prints depicting Rome's monuments, antiquities, and sculptures—this-scale work (plate: 4 15/16 x 3 1/8 in.) captures a statue of the mighty Hercules housed in the residence of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a prominent patron of the arts. Engraving, the medium here, was revolutionary in the 16th century, allowing precise reproduction and widespread dissemination of images to scholars, collectors, and travelers on the Grand Tour. This technique highlighted fine details in the Herculean figure—symbolizing strength and heroism from classical mythology—while reflecting the era's revival of antiquity amid Rome's cultural renaissance. As a historical document in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, it offers a window into 16th-century Rome's blend of myth, architecture, and elite patronage, bridging ancient legends with Baroque opulence in the Borghese collections.
About the Artist
Anonymous|Philippe Thomassin|Antonio Lafreri
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...