Andrea Andreani (Italian, c. 1558-1629)
after Baldessare Peruzzi (Italian, 1481-1536)
Mucius Scevola
INV-1089
Andrea Andreani (Italian, c. 1558-1629)
after Baldessare Peruzzi (Italian, 1481-1536)1608
Mucius Scevola
Andrea Andreani (Italian, c. 1558-1629) after Baldessare Peruzzi (Italian, 1481-1536) →chiaroscuro woodcutwoodcut
Date
1608
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut in greenish gray and black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
26.5 × 20.9 cm (10 7/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
The Wallace L. DeWolf and Joseph Brooks Fair Collections
The printmaker and publisher Andrea Andreani made several prints calling for over 40 blocks, including a lengthy classical frieze. He also acquired older blocks and republished them with his own initials. The present woodcut required two blocks—an abstract tone block and a linear key block in black printed on top of it to consolidate the image. This popular subject after Baldassare Peruzzi shows a legendary Roman hero, Mucius Scevela, who, upon being caught during an attempt to assassinate the Etruscan king Lars Porsenna, thrust his hand into a fire to demonstrate his bravery and resistance to torture.