Lycaon Transformed into a Wolf
Original title: Lycaon Transformed into a Wolf
kurzbeschreibung
Agostino Veneziano's 1524 engraving captures the Arcadian king Lycaon at the instant of his transformation into a wolf. This intaglio print, measuring 28.4 by 41.5 cm, sets a foreground figure against an expansive landscape rendered in careful detail.
Description
At the left, on a low pedestal, stands a wolf with human arms and legs, clutching a stick; its gaze seems pensive or uneasy. To the right, further back, a bearded old man with long hair reclines on a bed, naked and barefoot. Mountains and clouds structure the background, and a monogram appears in the upper left. The wolf and the old man are clearly linked, the areas evenly lit as is typical of intaglio printing.
Context
Behind the name Agostino Veneziano is the Italian Agostino dei Musi, a Renaissance engraver from the workshop of Marcantonio Raimondi. The design derives from a Raphael drawing for a scene in Ovid's Metamorphoses: Jupiter punishes the transgressor Lycaon by turning him into a wolf. The print was made in Rome, where Veneziano became known for reproductive engravings after ancient and contemporary art.
Impact
The viewer's eye is drawn first to the wolf's human limbs and then to the reclining figure, guided by the even light and clear leading lines. A quiet yet unsettling mood arises from the contrast between the brooding wolf and the exposed old man. The lucid, almost monumental layout with its clean linework leads the gaze calmly across the sheet. On closer inspection, the mythological narrative can be followed in its details.
Technique
Etching was the technique employed, an intaglio process in which the drawing is etched into a metal plate. Fine, confident lines and carefully placed hatching create shadows and surface textures. The monochrome printed image corresponds to Renaissance printmaking and attests to Veneziano's high level of craftsmanship.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)