Cloelia Crossing the Tiber

Prints and Drawings

c. 1540

Giulio Bonasone (Italian, c. 1510–after 1576)
after Polidoro Caldara, called Polidoro da Caravaggio (Italian, c. 1499-c. 1543)
published by Antoine Lafréry (French, active Italy, 1512-1577)

Plutarch’s early history of Rome recounts the bravery of Cloelia, who was one of several hostages held by the Etruscans during peace negotiations. Cloelia lead a group of women in their escape away from the Clusium camp and across the Tiber river.
With dramatic contrast, Giulio di Antonio Bonasone engraved flourishing dresses and swirling waters in the foreground and closely parallel lines in the shadowy background to heighten the excitement of the rescue. The sculptural effect of the light and dark values mimic an architectural frieze, the original composition of which may have been designed by Polidoro da Caravaggio.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Giulio Bonasone
Title: Cloelia Crossing the Tiber
Place: Italy (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1540
Medium: Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: Image/sheet, trimmed within platemark: 29.3 × 42.5 cm (11 9/16 × 16 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Elizabeth Hammond Stickney Collection
Reference Number: 1887.287
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/111997/manifest.json

Bartsch XV.83 II/II

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Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

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Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.