Caius Marius in Prison, two Cimbrian soldiers entering his cell
Original title: Caius Marius in Prison, two Cimbrian soldiers entering his cell
kurzbeschreibung
Giorgio Ghisi's engraving of 1560–69 presents the Roman general Gaius Marius in his cell, where two Cimbrian soldiers come to find him. The print draws on an event handed down from antiquity.
Description
Three figures fill the foreground. On the left stands a soldier in Roman armor with a plumed helmet, a sword and an arrowhead at his belt, poised as if ready to fight. At the center a second soldier grasps the hand of the seated Marius. Marius himself, on the right, wears plain clothing, his right hand raised and his left pressed to his chest. A wall with a window closes off the rear, opening onto a ruined city and a cloudy sky.
Context
The Italian Renaissance engraver Giorgio Ghisi, known for his reproductions after leading masters, made this print between 1560 and 1569, during his years in Rome and later in Antwerp. The subject comes from Roman history and survives in sources including Plutarch. Such historical scenes were popular in the Renaissance, serving to illustrate virtues like constancy and love of country.
Impact
The clear arrangement of the figures and the calm yet charged exchange between Marius and the soldiers shape the impression. Precise lines and graded shading give the print bodily depth and heighten the drama of the encounter. Its monochrome gray tones evoke a grave, historical mood.
Technique
An engraving is made by incising the design into a copper plate, which is then printed on paper. Ghisi's precise style appears in the finely graded lines and nuanced shading. The print measures 20.3 x 27 cm within the plate mark.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)