Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Titus, from The Twelve Caesars
ca. 1500–1534
Medium
Engraving; second state of three
Dimensions
mount: 10 5/8 x 16 3/4 in. (27 x 42.5 cm) sheet: 6 11/16 x 5 7/8 in. (17 x 15 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(3.92)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the commanding profile of Emperor Titus in this exquisite engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi a cornerstone of Renaissance printmaking. Titled *Speculum Romanae Magnificent: Titus, from The Caesars*, this second-state impression from around 1500–1534 captures the Roman leader (r. 79–81 CE) in a classical bust format, evoking ancient coins and sculptures. Raimondi, a engraver from Bologna, was renowned for his precise reproductions of designs by Raphael and other High Renaissance artists, making intricate details accessible through the printed medium. As part of Antonio Lafreri's influential *Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae*—a celebrated 16th-century compendium of over 1,000 prints depicting Rome's antiquities—this work fueled the era's fascination with imperial Rome. During the Renaissance, artists and scholars idolized the Caesars as models of grandeur, and such engravings served as affordable "mirrors" of magnificence, disseminating classical knowledge to collectors across Europe. The profile view, a nod to ancient portraiture, highlights Titus's triumphs, including his role in the Colosseum's completion and the sack of Jerusalem. Raimondi's technique shines in the fine lines and tonal gradations achieved through burin on copperplate, with this second state showing refined details before later alterations. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it exemplifies how prints bridged antiquity and modernity, inviting us to ponder Rome's enduring legacy.
About the Artist
Marcantonio Raimondi · 1475–1534
Marcantonio Raimondi (c. 1480–1534), born near Bologna, Italy, emerged as one of the Renaissance's premier engravers, revolutionizing printmaking through his mastery of reproductive techniques. He trained in the workshop of the goldsmith, painter, and niellist Francesco Francia, whose influence is evident in his early engravings, such as the goldsmith-like shading in *Pyramus and Thisbe* (1505), h...