The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 15, 2025

The Triumph of Julius Caesar: Frontispiece

1593–99
(Italian, about 1558–1610)
(Italian, 1431–1506)
Italy, 16th century
chiaroscuro woodcut
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1930.583.1
Catalogue raisonné: Bartsch XII.101.11
Location: not on view

Description

Commissioned by Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga, this series of chiaroscuro woodcuts reproduces Andrea Mantegna’s Triumph of Julius Caesar, painted a century earlier. The scenes imaginatively portray the triumphal procession of the renowned Roman general and consul Julius Caesar following his successful defeat of Gaul in 52 BC. Each section of the continuous frieze shows elements typical of these parades, sanctioned by the Roman Senate and described in ancient texts. The printed suite’s frontispiece features a portrait bust of Mantegna, and the text below boasts that the famous paintings attracted many viewers. People who owned sets of these woodcuts often tacked them up to create a decorative frieze. Andreani issued the prints with a sheet of classical columns that could be cut out and placed between the scenes. Two fragments of these columns, colored orange, still flank the fourth scene.
  • Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
  • {{cite web|title=The Triumph of Julius Caesar: Frontispiece|url=false|author=Andrea Andreani, Andrea Mantegna|year=1593–99|access-date=15 March 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.583.1