Artistic Analysis

    This intaglio print by Antonio Tempesta details the midpoint of the story of Erysicthon, as the Godess Ceres orders an oread nymph to utilize Fames against Erysicthon. Tempesta includes a scene of Erysicthon chopping down Ceres’s sacred tree in the bottom right of the print, and Fames’s starving figure in the bottom left. Meanwhile, Ceres, at the center of the subject, directs the oread nymph to her immediate right toward Fames, with a chariot for the nymph to ride on Ceres’s left. 

    Antonio Tempesta, an Italian painter from Rome’s Baroque period, emphasized an accurate retelling of Ovid’s tale rather than dramatic and emotional appeal, contrary to the time period. The Baroque period of Rome valued strong colors, and a stark difference of brights and darks. In his series Metamorphoseon sive transformationum, Tempesta blended Baroque style with his printing style similar to Antwerp artists, where the printing community flourished. Yet, in this piece, Tempesta deviated from Baroque style, likely to cover a more broad part of the story then to focus on the emotional parts. For example, he chose to not engrave the brutal scene of Erysicthon’s beheaded servant, or the dryad nymphs being lopped by his axe. 

    Nevertheless, Tempesta draws emotion in his print through various means. He includes Ovid’s vivid detail of the tree bleeding the blood of the local dryad nymphs. Fames drags her nails into the barren landscape, demonstrating her starving nature. A shadow draws over Ceres’s face, exemplifying her anger and urgency to seek revenge against Erysicthon. The depiction sets a scene of greed, anger, and the wrath of a Goddess seeking an impending doom for Erysicthon.

These minute details show Tempesta’s thorough appeal towards highly educated audiences. Distribution of intaglio prints expanded to the growing middle class in cities like Antwerp, Paris, and Rome in the 17th century. Yet, Tempesta marked many of his pieces with Latin captions, accessible only to scholars and high priests, which were still only available to the ruling class. Thus, it is no surprise that Tempesta was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII for works in the Vatican, as well as the Medici family, the long time Grand Dukes of Tuscany. His appeal to an educated audience reflects a strict effort to preserve retellings of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Tempesta targets wealthy collectors who have the resources to maintain the works over generations, and more importantly, conserve the beautiful details of the story.