Atalanta and Meleager (ca. 1670–90)
Original title: Atalanta and Meleager
kurzbeschreibung
Johann Gottfried Bartsch made this etching, Atalanta and Meleager, around 1670–90. It presents two hunters and a winged child. The sheet measures 34.9 × 30.5 cm and belongs to the category of prints.
Description
Atalanta has taken a seat on a rock and holds her breast. Meleager stands beside her and touches her. A small winged child between them looks upward. A tree with a hanging knife on a branch can be seen; above it hovers a figure that might be a goddess or mythical being. The action takes place outdoors, with a suggested landscape emphasised by detailed lines and shading.
Context
The second half of the 17th century saw widespread use of mythological subjects in printmaking. Bartsch was a German engraver whose reputation rests on reproductive engravings. The source was the ancient legend of Atalanta and Meleager, as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Impact
Fine lines and animated figures create a lively interplay. Because colour is absent, the arrangement of the pictorial elements and the narrative depth come to the fore.
Technique
In etching, lines are incised into a copper plate, which is then bitten with acid. This produces fine, precise shading and a detailed print, as can be seen in the figures and the landscape.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)