The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 20, 2026

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

after Giulio Romano

(Italian, 1492/99–1546)
Italy, 16th century
pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash over red chalk, heightened with lead white
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.)
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Robert A. Frary in memory of I. T. Frary 1992.90
Location: Not on view

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.
  • Joseph van Haecken (Lugt 2516, stamped, lower right, in black ink)
    Sir Joshua Reynolds (Lugt 2364, stamped, lower right, in black ink)
  • Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1992." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 2 (February 1993): 38-79. Mentioned: p. 73, no. 272 25161388
  • Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
    Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=Copy after Giulio Romano's Fall of Icarus|url=false|author=Giulio Romano|year=after 1536|access-date=20 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.90