The Triumph of Two Roman Emperors (left-hand side) with soldiers on horseback and men, women, and children fleeing

Art Historical Context

In the bustling world of Renaissance printmaking, *The Triumph of Two Roman Emperors (left-hand side)* captures the grandeur of ancient victory parades through the skilled hands of engravers Cherubino Alberti (also known as Zaccaria Mattia) and Polidoro da Caravaggio. Created between 1570 and 1615, this engraving—measuring a slender 6 7/16 × 15 3/8 inches—evokes the Roman triumph, a ceremonial procession honoring conquering emperors. Here, soldiers on horseback charge forward dynamically, while men, women, and children flee in the chaos of conquest, rendered with intricate line work that highlights the era's fascination with classical antiquity. As a prime example of Mannerist engraving, the work showcases Alberti's mastery of the intaglio technique, where fine burin incisions on a copper plate create rich tonal contrasts and fluid motion upon printing. Likely part of a larger series, its horizontal format mimics triumphal friezes from Roman monuments, blending historical revival with artistic innovation. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this print democratized elite imagery, allowing collectors across Europe to own a piece of imperial drama. This artwork reminds us how 16th-century artists reimagined Rome's past to inspire their present, turning metal and ink into timeless tales of power and peril.

About the Artist

Cherubino Alberti (Zaccaria Mattia)|Polidoro da Caravaggio · 1553–1615

Cherubino Alberti (1553–1615), also known by his birth name Zaccaria Mattia, was an Italian engraver and painter active in Rome during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Born in Borgo San Sepolcro in Tuscany, he came from an artistically inclined family and received training that equipped him for work in both painting and the reproductive graphic arts. It was as a printmaker, however,...