| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Cornelis Bloemaert after Abraham van Diepenbeeck |
| Published | [Paris: Chez Nicolas L'Anglois, ruë Sainct Iacques, aux Colomnes d'Hercule, c. 1655] |
| Dimensions | Image 233 x 177, Plate 276 x 184, Sheet 434 x 282 mm |
| Notes |
A depiction of the Giant Enceladus buried under Mount Etna, from Michel de Marolles' 'Tableaux du temple des muses'. The huge and flame topped mountain stands on a sparsely populated island, with the giant trapped beneath. A pastoral scene has been depicted on a further island in the foreground. Enceladus was the offspring of Gaia and Uranus (Earth and Sky), borne from the blood that fell when Uranus was castrated by their elder son Kronos. He was captured and buried after the 'Gigantomachy', the epic battle between the Giants and the gods. Although traditionally opposed by Athena, Virgil and other later poets describe him as being struck down by Zeus. The image corresponds to this, with Zeus shown brandishing his lightning bolts at the top right of the image. The ancient Greek stanza below the image comes from Aeschylus' 'Prometheus Bound' (lines 450-458) and describes Typhon receiving a very similar punishment, proof of a later interchangeability between the two Giants. Earthquakes in the area have been blamed on him shifting position in his uncomfortable prison. Plate numbered '7' to lower right corner. Cornelis Bloemaert (1603-1692) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. He studied under his father, Abraham Bloemaert, and with his brothers Hendrick and Adriaan, and his father's pupil, Gerard van Honthorst. He originally trained as a painter, though shortly afterwards devoted himself primarily to printmaking, learning engraving under Crispijn van de Passe. In 1630 moved to Paris and settled in Rome sometime before 1633. He spent his life working, despite horrific injuries to his hand in a fire. Abraham van Diepenbeeck (1596-1675) was a Flemish painter, glass-painter and designer of prints and tapestries. He was a pupil and assistant of Peter Paul Rubens. He worked in 's-Hertogenbosch, Antwerp, and in the early 1630s in Paris. Condition: Small iron inclusion to centre right of sheet. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £300.00 |
| Stock ID | 45190 |