The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Mucius Scaevola

Mucius Scaevola

1608
(Italian, about 1558–1610)
(Italian, 1481–1536)
Catalogue raisonné: Bartsch XII.98.7
Location: not on view

Description

This chiaroscuro woodcut in two blocks of greenish gray and black was printed after a drawing by Baldassarre Peruzzi. It displays Gaius Mucius Cordus, a youth who saved Rome from the siege ordered by the Etruscan king Lars Porsena in c. 509 BC. The legendary hero was caught while sneaking into the Etruscan camp in an attempt to assassinate Porsena. In this print, Mucius is thrusting his hand into a fire lit for sacrifice to demonstrate his bravery and endurance to torture. Without giving any sign of pain, Mucius earned for himself the nickname "Scaevola" (left-handed), and was freed by his enemy.
  • {{cite web|title=Mucius Scaevola|url=false|author=Andrea Andreani, Balthasar Peruzzi|year=1608|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1925.47