Artwork
Pyramus and Thisbe
Pyramus and Thisbe is a print by the Renaissance artist Hans Wechtlin. It dates from 1510 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Pyramus and Thisbe is a print depicting a tragic scene from ancient Roman mythology. The artwork illustrates a pivotal moment in the narrative of two star-crossed lovers.
Subject & Meaning
The print shows Pyramus and Thisbe, young lovers from feuding families, meeting in secret. Pyramus has stabbed himself upon finding Thisbe's bloody veil, believing she was killed by a lion.
Technique & Style
The composition borrows figures from Marcantonio Raimondi's engraving, with alterations such as replacing a natural spring with an ornate fountain topped with Cupid, indicating the artist's adaptation of existing work.
History & Provenance
The print is associated with Heinrich Wechtlin, who reworked Raimondi's original engraving. It is housed at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann, Johannes or Hans Wechtlin was a German Renaissance artist, active between at least 1502 and 1526, whose woodcuts are his only certainly surviving work.
