The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Tiburtine Sibyl and the Emperor Augustus

Tiburtine Sibyl and the Emperor Augustus

c. 1527–30/31
(Italian, 1503–1540)
(Italian, c. 1508–c. 1550)
Italy, 16th century
chiaroscuro woodcut (in brown-green and black)
Sheet: 34.1 x 25.9 cm (13 7/16 x 10 3/16 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1923.115
Catalogue raisonné: Bartsch 7 (XII.90)
Location: not on view

Description

This print depicts the Roman Emperor Augustus (reigned 27 BC–AD 14) and the Tiburtine Sybil, one of several women that Apollo bestowed with prophetic powers. Augustus was deciding whether or not to accept apotheosis (recognition of the emperor as a god after death) and asked the Tiburtine Sybil for advice. At the moment the two met on the Capitoline Hill, the Madonna and Christ the Child appeared before them, revealing the coming of the child as the one who would have surpassed Augustus in ruling the world. Upon the site of the vision, Augustus had built an altar, the Aracoeli. Later, on the same spot, the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli was erected. Antonio da Trento probably made this print under the direct supervision of Parmigianino. In later printings, Antonio da Trento's line block went through two state changes. The CMA example represents the second state, characterized by the addition of hatching to the cheek of the attendant at the left of the composition.
  • Takahatake, Naoko, et al. The Chiaroscuro Woodcut in Renaissance Italy. Los Angeles : Los Angeles County Museum of Art ; Munich ; New York : DelMonico Books/Prestel, 2018. Reproduced and mentioned: pp. 112-116, cat. 32
  • The Chiaroscuro Woodcut in Renaissance Italy. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (organizer) (June 3-September 16, 2018); National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (October 14, 2018-January 20, 2019).
    Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (6/3/2018-9/16/2018) and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (10/14/2018-1/20/2019): "The Chiaroscuro Woodcut in Renaissance Italy"
    Mannerism: Italian, French, and Netherlandish Prints, 1520-1620. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 3-October 26, 1997).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; 8/3/97 - 10/26/97. "Mannerism: Italian, French, and Netherlandish Prints, 1520-1620."
    Printing in Color. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-November 17, 1985).
    When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982).
    Connoisseurship in Italian Figural Compositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 1980-February 15, 1981).
  • {{cite web|title=Tiburtine Sibyl and the Emperor Augustus|url=false|author=Parmigianino, Antonio da Trento|year=c. 1527–30/31|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1923.115