Agostino dei Musi
Italian, c. 1490-after 1536
Emperor Freeing the Slave Androcles
INV-1112
Agostino dei Musi
Italian, c. 1490-after 15361516/17
Emperor Freeing the Slave Androcles
Agostino dei Musi Italian, c. 1490-after 1536 →engravingprint
Date
1516/17
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 40.2 × 27 cm (15 7/8 × 10 11/16 in.); Sheet: 40.4 × 26.8 cm (15 15/16 × 10 9/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, II
In Aesop's Fables, the escaped slave Androcles is thrown to a lion for the amusement of the emperor. Miraculoush, the beast greets him like a puppy instead of tearing him limb from limb. Androcles had once removed a thorn from the lion’s paw, and in gratitude the animal spares his life in the arena. The emperor is so touched by the story that he too spares Androcles’ life and sends the lion back to the wild. Agostino Veneziano may have used a drawing by Raphael as the model for this engraving. Its subject matter reflects the early-16th-century fascination with ancient literature and sculpture.
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