Workshop of Andrea Mantegna
Italian, 1430/31-1506
The Elephants, from The Triumph of Julius Caesar
INV-5670
Workshop of Andrea Mantegna
Italian, 1430/31-1506c. 1498
The Elephants, from The Triumph of Julius Caesar
Workshop of Andrea Mantegna Italian, 1430/31-1506 →printprints and drawing
Date
c. 1498
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
27.7 × 26.1 cm (10 15/16 × 10 5/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
This engraving depicts Julius Caesar entering Rome after his conquest of Gaul in 46 b.c., the greatest military victory of his career. Dante was not afraid of making his political opinions known in the Inferno; the three worst traitors in history—Julius Caesar’s assassins, Brutus, Cassius, and Judas Iscariot—dangle from the mouth of Lucifer in the final circle of hell. After his assassination, Caesar himself would join Orpheus in Dante’s limbo.
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