Artwork
The Fate of the Evil Tongue
The Fate of the Evil Tongue is a print by the Renaissance artist Nicoletto da Modena. It dates from 1507 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The print titled *The Fate of the Evil Tongue* was produced by the Italian engraver Nicoletto da Modena around 1507. Executed in black‑and‑white line work, the image is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It presents a compact, narrative scene populated by four nude youths engaged in violent acts against symbolic objects.
Subject & Meaning
At the center of the composition, the youths are shown subduing a serpent, brandishing a flaming torch, and crushing a protruding tongue that bears an inscription. The Latin legend on a scroll below reads *Lingua pravo rum peribit*, translating to “the evil tongue will perish.” The tableau functions as a visual allegory of silencing harmful speech.
Technique & Style
Nicoletto employs a combination of sharply rendered anatomy—muscular limbs and coiled snake—contrasted with softer, atmospheric backgrounds of ruins and distant trees. The engraving balances vigorous, energetic line work with delicate hatching that suggests depth, creating a tension between the immediate, violent action and a dreamlike, almost ethereal setting.
History & Provenance
Created in the early sixteenth century, the print entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through a mid‑twentieth‑century acquisition, though earlier ownership records remain sparse. Its survival in good condition allows scholars to study Nicoletto’s lesser‑known output alongside more widely circulated prints of the period.
Context
The work reflects the Renaissance fascination with moralizing allegories drawn from classical and biblical sources. Prints such as this served both decorative and didactic purposes, circulating ideas about virtue and vice. Its emphasis on the punishment of the “evil tongue” aligns with contemporary humanist concerns about the power of speech in civic life.
Artist & collection
