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Pyramus and Thisbe, c. 1510. Creator: Hans Wechtlin (German, 1480 / 85-aft 1526)
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Pyramus and Thisbe, c. 1510. Creator: Hans Wechtlin (German, 1480 / 85-aft 1526)
Pyramus and Thisbe, c. 1510. In Metamorphoses, written by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BC-AD 17), the parents of Pyramus and Thisbe forbid them to marry, so the young lovers conspire to meet at a mulberry tree beside a spring. Thisbe arrives first, but flees when she sees a lion fresh from a kill. She accidentally drops her veil, which the lion bloodies while playing with it. When Pyramus arrives, he finds the bloody veil, falsely concludes that Thisbe had been killed, and plunges his sword into his side. Here, Thisbe discovers her dead lover. Wechtlin borrowed the figures of the star-crossed lovers from an engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi, but changed the natural spring into an ornamental fountain topped with a statue of cupid
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Media ID 19642065
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Chiaroscuro Woodcut Hans Wechtlin
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This print captures the tragic tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, brought to life by the artistic genius of Hans Wechtlin. Inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, this 16th-century chiaroscuro woodcut transports us to a world where forbidden love meets a devastating fate. The story unfolds as we witness the young lovers' secret rendezvous at a mulberry tree beside an enchanting spring. However, their hopes for happiness are shattered when Thisbe encounters a fearsome lion fresh from its kill. Fleeing in terror, she inadvertently leaves behind her bloodied veil, which becomes entangled in the beast's playful grasp. As Pyramus arrives at the scene and discovers his beloved's abandoned veil stained with blood, despair engulfs him. Believing that Thisbe has met her untimely demise, he tragically takes his own life with a sword plunged into his side. In this poignant moment captured by Wechtlin's masterful hand, we witness Thisbe's heart-wrenching discovery of her lover's lifeless body. The pain and sorrow etched on her face speak volumes about the depth of their love and the cruel twist of fate that tore them apart. Wechtlin skillfully borrows from Marcantonio Raimondi's engraving to depict these star-crossed lovers but adds his unique touch by transforming the natural spring into an ornamental fountain crowned with Cupid himself—a symbol of both love and tragedy intertwined.
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