The story of Jason and Medea: at the left she carries off her son, in the middle she is shown in her madness, Jason stands at the right

Art Historical Context

Behold *The Story of Jason and Medea*, a captivating 16th-century engraving Giulio Bonasone, a masterful Italian printmaker active between 1531 and 1576. Measuring 8½ x 12½ inches, this intricate sheet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department captures key dramatic moments from the ancient Greek myth. Bonasone, renowned for his reproductive engravings after designs by leading Renaissance artists, employs the precise lines of intaglio printing to evoke intense emotion and narrative depth. The composition unfolds across the page: at left, Medea flees with her son, symbolizing her desperate act of infanticide; in the center, she embodies frenzied madness amid the tragedy; and at right, Jason stands resolute, confronting the horrifying consequences of his betrayal. This tripartite scene draws from Euripides' tragedy *Medea*, a tale of love turned to vengeance that resonated deeply in the Renaissance, when artists revived classical stories to explore human passion and moral complexity. Engravings like Bonasone's were revolutionary, making high art accessible through affordable multiples. Part of The Elisha Whittelsey Collection (acquired 1949), it exemplifies how prints bridged mythology and everyday viewers, inviting reflection on timeless themes of jealousy, loyalty, and retribution. A poignant window into Mannerist drama!

About the Artist

Giulio Bonasone · 1500–1600

Comment on works: History; Mythology