Cloelia on horseback crossing the Tiber
Original title: Cloelia on horseback crossing the Tiber
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike related prints that show Cloelia at the moment of capture or among the hostages, Giulio Bonasone here focuses on her escape across the river. Made around 1540–60, this monochrome engraving belongs to Renaissance printmaking. It tells an episode from early Roman history: Cloelia, a hostage, escapes and brings other women to safety.
Description
In the foreground Cloelia rides a horse, a weapon in her hand; a group of women follows or takes leave, some with children. The figures wear Roman dress. Trees and flowers frame the action, setting it in a landscape. The layout draws energy from Cloelia's and the horse's forward drive, set against the calmer female figures.
Context
Created in mid-16th-century Italy, the sheet takes up an ancient Roman subject, as many works of those years did. Giulio Bonasone, an engraver active in Bologna and Rome, produced numerous works after antique models. The story of Cloelia is recorded by Roman historians such as Livy and was regarded in the Renaissance as an example of courage and virtue. Bonasone's print belongs to a series devoted to heroines and heroes of antiquity.
Impact
The horse's lively gait and Cloelia's determined bearing generate dramatic tension. The quieter women behind her heighten the contrast and make the heroic deed stand out. The monochrome linework directs attention to the arrangement and to details of clothing and nature.
Technique
The print was made as an etching, an intaglio process in which the drawing is etched into a metal plate. Lines and shading come from grooves of varying depth and width. Bonasone used fine hatching to model light and shadow, as was common in Renaissance printmaking.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)