A Triton Carrying off a Nymph, from "Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae"
Original title: A Triton Carrying off a Nymph, from "Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae"
kurzbeschreibung
A Triton carries a nymph through the waves while a naked man in a boat steers with a paddle. This is Marco Dente's 16th-century engraving, a mythological episode from the 'Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae', a collection of prints devoted to Roman antiquity.
Description
Two figures move through the water: the Triton, with his fish tail and fins on his arms, holds a nymph who also has a fish tail and fins. Behind them a muscular naked man guides a boat with a paddle. Curving lines convey the movement of the water, and a few plants are suggested. The print is in black and white, with detailed, precise linework.
Context
The Italian Marco Dente was a Renaissance engraver known above all for his reproductions of antique artworks. This sheet belongs to the 'Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae', a collection published by Antonio Lafreri that documented Roman antiquities and works of art. The tale of Triton and the nymph is a widespread motif of classical mythology, taken up again in the Renaissance.
Impact
The exact linework and clear layout give the sheet a calm yet dynamic presence. Despite the mythological subject, the figures in the water seem almost naturalistic, a testament to the engraver's technical skill.
Technique
A copper plate was engraved with lines and then printed on paper. Fine hatching and clean linework are characteristic of 16th-century printmaking. The sheet was trimmed to the plate mark and mounted on cardboard.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)