Rape of a Sabine Woman

Andrea Andreani|Giambologna

1584 · Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in gray-brown · Drawings and Prints

This monumental print reproduces Giambologna’s famous Florentine sculpture 'Rape of the Sabine Woman'. In his highly original configuration of contorted and intertwined bodies, Giambologna achieved the suggestion of dramatic movement and force—aspects that made the artwork an icon of Renaissance sculpture. To capture its three-dimensional quality, the printmaker Andreani made three different woodcuts after Giambologna’s masterpiece, each depicting the sculpture from a different angle. The technique of chiaroscuro woodcut allowed the printmaker to suggest volume, using three woodblocks; one to render the contour lines, and the others to achieve convincing modulation of the bodies and background.

Artist

Andrea Andreani|Giambologna

Date

1584

Medium

Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in gray-brown

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922