Diogenes

Prints and Drawings

before 1527

Ugo da Carpi (Italian, c. 1480-1535)
or after Parmigianino (Italian, 1503-1540)

Renowned as one of the best prints of the sixteenth century, this masterpiece by the great woodcut artist not only reveals his absorption of Roman High Renaissance art but also paves the way for the dynamism of the Baroque. Diogenes, a fourth century B.C. Greek philosopher, chose the hardship of dwelling in a wooden tub, seen in the background. The plucked rooster reflects his ridicule of his contemporary, Plato, who defined man as a featherless biped.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Ugo da Carpi
Title: Diogenes
Origin: Italy
Date: 1520–1530
Medium: Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: 460 × 341 mm
Credit Line: Gift of Guy H. Mitchell
Reference Number: 1932.1280
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/13502/manifest.json

Bartsch XII, section VI, 10

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