Sybil (?) holding a book with a child at left
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 6 in. × 4 9/16 in. (15.2 × 11.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.2691
Art Historical Context
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this delicate etching titled *Sybil (?) holding book with a child at* (1775) captures a moment of classical inspiration. Created by Italian engraver Giuseppe Canale published by the influential British printmaker John Boydell, depicts a prophetic Sibyl—possibly alluding to the ancient Roman prophetesses from mythology—clutching a book while attended by a child at her side. The question mark in the title reflects scholarly uncertainty about the exact identity, inviting viewers to ponder its symbolic depth. Measuring just 6 by 4...
About the Artist
Giuseppe Canale|John Boydell (British|Italian) · 1720 |1725 –1804 |1802
British, Dorrington, Shropshire 1720–1804 London|Italian, Rome 1725–1802 Dresden