Naked man walking to the right carrying a column base
Original title: Naked man walking to the right carrying a column base
kurzbeschreibung
Marcantonio Raimondi engraved this print around 1517–20. It shows a nude man striding to the right while carrying a column base on his back. The sheet belongs to a series of support figures that Raimondi engraved after designs by Raphael.
Description
In profile, the muscular man moves to the right, his head turned upward, which makes the strain of his pose palpable. A cloth around his neck falls over his shoulders and chest; otherwise he is unclothed. Both arms steady the heavy column base resting on his back. Scattered trees and shrubs hint at a natural setting. The arrangement and the direction of gaze stay entirely on the figure and his burden; there are no other people or objects.
Context
The engraving was made after Raphael, who around 1515 had designed a series of support figures for the decoration of the Loggia in the Vatican palaces. Twelve sheets in total make up this series known as the 'bearers,' showing various laborers with their loads. Dated around 1517–20, the work falls in Raimondi's most productive years in Rome, where he was among the first printmakers to circulate reproductive engravings after Raphael. Nude bearer figures were a popular study motif in the Renaissance for anatomy and movement.
Impact
Physical exertion becomes immediately understandable here, reinforced by the man's upward gaze and bent posture. Clear lines and the calm landscape create a collected mood in which the bearer's heroic load stands out.
Technique
A burin cut the lines into the copper plate, giving the print its sharpness. Evenly distributed light and fine hatching model the body's forms and render the musculature realistically. Raimondi's skill shows in the precise working of textures and spatial depth.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)