Artwork Page for Copy after Giulio Romano's Fall of Icarus

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Copy after Giulio Romano's Fall of Icarus

after 1536

after Giulio Romano

(Italian, 1492/99–1546)
Culture
Italy, 16th century
Medium
pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash over red chalk, heightened with lead white
Support
Light brown laid paper, laid down on beige(1) wove paper
Measurements
Sheet: 39.8 x 29.3 cm (15 11/16 x 11 9/16 in.); Secondary Support: 41.9 x 31.6 cm (16 1/2 x 12 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Robert A. Frary in memory of I. T. Frary 1992.90
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Having flown too close to the sun, Icarus plummets from the sky as the wax securing his makeshift wings melts, and the straps unravel. His father Daedelus, who invented the wings, watches in horror as his son begins a deadly fall. Punished for failing to heed his father’s warning and attempting to enter the realm of the gods, Icarus was a moral reminder to Renaissance viewers of human fallibility and the risks of excessive pride.
A horizontally oriented ink and wash drawing on light brown paper depicts two winged figures among clouds. A muscular, bearded man with large feathered wings strapped to his body flies toward the right. Below, a second figure falls backward with arms raised and mouth open. White highlights and fine brown lines define their muscles and the surrounding clouds. A crab appears in the upper right background. The composition features warm brown tones throughout.

Copy after Giulio Romano's Fall of Icarus

after 1536

Giulio Romano

(Italian, 1492/99–1546)
Italy, 16th century

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