Giulio Bonasone (Italian, c. 1510–after 1576)
after Francesco Primaticcio (Italian, 1504-1570)
The Trojan Horse Being Dragged into the City of Troy
INV-1425
Giulio Bonasone (Italian, c. 1510–after 1576)
after Francesco Primaticcio (Italian, 1504-1570)1545
The Trojan Horse Being Dragged into the City of Troy
Giulio Bonasone (Italian, c. 1510–after 1576) after Francesco Primaticcio (Italian, 1504-1570) →engravingprint
Date
1545
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
40.7 × 63.4 cm (16 1/16 × 25 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston Endowment
The source of this engraving was a design by Francesco Primaticcio, an Italian Mannerist who worked at Fountainebleu. It represents a scene from the Trojan War, which was recounted in the Aeneid, an epic by Virgil. The Trojans found a wooden horse that had been left as an offering to their gods outside the gates of Troy. Thinking that after 10 years the Greeks must surely have lifted their siege of the city and departed, the Trojans decided that it was safe to bring the horse into the city. However, that night the Greek soldiers who had hidden themselves inside the horse opened the gates for their compatriots and invaded Troy.