Pallas Athena standing on a globe, a spear in her left hand, a shield in her right
Original title: Pallas Athena standing on a globe, a spear in her left hand, a shield in her right
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1520–27, Marcantonio Raimondi engraved this print of a fully armed Athena standing on a sphere. The goddess wears a crown, a flowing gown and a chest ornament; her left hand holds a lance, her right a shield. The sheet ranks among the significant examples of Italian Renaissance printmaking.
Description
Athena stands upright and dignified on a globe. She is crowned, wrapped in a richly folded garment and adorned with a breastplate. The lance is in her left hand, the shield in her right. The background stays sparse, so the figure draws the entire focus. Black-and-white lines of fine, careful execution define the image.
Context
The Italian engraver Marcantonio Raimondi is known for his reproductive prints after Raphael. This sheet was made in his mature phase, around 1520–27. Athena as a goddess of victory on the globe points to humanist ideals and the Renaissance revival of antiquity. Raimondi’s engravings circulated widely and had a lasting impact on European art.
Impact
The upright posture and symmetrical arrangement of the attributes give the print a calm, monumental aura. Thanks to the precise linework, the figure gains an almost sculptural presence. The restriction to black and white emphasizes the draughtsmanship and the clarity of form.
Technique
For this engraving, the drawing is incised into a copper plate and then printed. Raimondi commanded the process with virtuosity, evident in the exact and detailed lines. At 26.9 x 15.7 cm, the format matches that of a typical single sheet of the period.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)