Artwork
Theseus Finding Aegeus' Arms
Theseus Finding Aegeus' Arms is an ink print by the Baroque artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. It dates from 1645 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Theseus Finding Aegeus' Arms is an etching on laid paper created by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, an Italian artist known as Il Grechetto, around 1645. The work is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington.
Subject & Meaning
The etching depicts a dramatic scene by a rocky shore, where one figure kneels, holding a sword with a cloth-wrapped hilt, while another stands, reacting with shock and recognition. The image conveys a story of identity revealed through an object, referencing the mythological tale of Theseus and Aegeus.
Technique & Style
Castiglione employed etching, a technique involving intricate lines carved into metal plates, to create the work. As a skilled printmaker and innovator of the monotyping technique, he brought a high level of detail and expressiveness to the image, characteristic of the Baroque style.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (baptized 23 March 1609 – 5 May 1664) was an Italian Baroque painter, printmaker and draftsman, of the Genoese school.
Temporalis Aeternitas
The Resurrection of Lazarus
The Holy Family Adored by Angels (The Large Nativity)
A Monk with a Bagpipe Player
The Bodies of Saints Peter and Paul Hidden in the Catacombs
God the Father and Angels Adoring the Christ Child
The Nativity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit
Tobit Burying the Dead
The Discovery of the Bodies of Saints Peter and Paul
La Bonne Aventure
The Nativity
La Bonne Aventure