Artwork
Clytie Repulsing Cupid
Clytie Repulsing Cupid is a print by the Baroque artist Francesco Bartolozzi. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Francesco Bartolozzi’s print, titled Clytie Repulsing Cupid, translates a composition originally devised by Annibale Carracci onto paper. The work portrays the mythic encounter in which the nymph Clytie rebuffs the amorous advances of the god of love, Cupid, set within a tranquil yet charged outdoor landscape.
Subject & Meaning
In the scene, Clytie sits composed on a rock, clutching a sunflower, while Cupid approaches holding a torch and a thorny branch. Her calm demeanor contrasts with the cherub’s anguished expression, suggesting a narrative of unrequited desire and the tension between affection and rejection.
Technique & Style
Bartolozzi employs fine line engraving and a pronounced chiaroscuro, creating stark light‑dark contrasts that give the figures volume and emotional depth. The delicate rendering of foliage, distant village, and clouded sky enhances the sense of space and atmosphere within the limited medium of print.
History & Provenance
The print is a reproduction after Carracci’s original design, reflecting the 18th‑century practice of disseminating celebrated compositions through prints. Bartolozzi, a leading engraver of his time, often collaborated with Italian masters, helping to circulate their works across Europe.
Context
Clytie’s myth, drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, was a popular subject in Baroque art, symbolizing unreciprocated love and transformation. By pairing Carracci’s dynamic composition with Bartolozzi’s precise engraving, the print bridges the grand narrative style of the late Renaissance with the delicate craftsmanship of the printmaking tradition.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727 – 7 March 1815) was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London. He is noted for popularizing the "crayon" method of engraving.
