• Additional view of object
Nov 20, 2007

Allegory of Carnal Love

Allegory of Carnal Love

c. 1530

Cristofano Robetta

(Italian, 1462–1534)

Italy, 20th century

Engraving

Image: 29.7 x 27.8 cm (11 11/16 x 10 15/16 in.); Sheet: 29.7 x 27.8 cm (11 11/16 x 10 15/16 in.)

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1923.744

Catalogue raisonné: Hind I.205.29

Location

not on view

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Did you know?

Robetta worked in a manner of engraving known as the fine manner, characterized by its extremely fine lines combined with crosshatching and dots.

Description

Trained as a goldsmith in Florence, Robetta also made engravings, primarily of biblical and mythological narratives. Perhaps an allegory involving themes of physical love, fertility, and mortality, the message of this frieze-like scene is not clear. Cupid, the only easily identified mythical figure, binds the central man’s arm to a tree, suggesting he is love’s captive. Long sashes of cloth entangle the groups of men and women, including the androgynous figure on the far left. The children suggest the fertility of life, although one boy steps on a skull, a reminder of the inevitability of death.

See also
Collection: 
PR - Engraving
Department: 
Prints
Type of artwork: 
Print
Medium: 
Engraving
Credit line: 
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

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