The Triumph of Chastity, plate two from The Triumphs of Petrarch
c. 1539
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate/sheet: 14.2 × 21 cm (5 5/8 × 8 5/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77863
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
German engraver Georg Pencz may have initially seen Petrarch’s popular Triumphs poems interpreted in Italy as a series of prints from Francesco Rosselli’s Florentine workshop, or perhaps on a decorated cassone (marriage chest). The topic may have been seen as especially appropriate for the latter, as Chastity’s victory over Love is so absolute. In fact, in Pencz’s rendition, the blindfolded Cupid has been duly trussed and attached to the front of Chastity’s triumphal car as a figurehead and warn...
About the Artist
Georg Pencz · 1490–1550
Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits