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The Lament of the Art of Painting

Cornelis Cort Netherlandish
1579
Not on view
This most ambitious allegory of the art of painting is also a highly personal work: it is generally accepted that the print was prompted by the criticism the Italian painter Federico Zuccaro endured after he finished the decoration of the dome of the Florence Cathedral in 1574. In the upper half of the composition, which had to be printed from two separate plates because of its size, Jupiter is seen in the skies presiding over the assembly of the gods. Before him the three Graces and Amor lead the weeping personification of Painting and the nine Muses. Minerva draws Jupiter's attention to a picture explaining the nature of Painting's complaint: assaulted by Calumny and at the mercy of the vacillating Fortune, the Virtues, which inspire the true artist, are in danger. Jupiter's protection of the threatened arts can be inferred from the section of the painting on which Zuccaro, seen at lower left, is working in his studio-Jupiter's thunderbolt. The artist does not fear the dogs attacking him from behind. He is inspired by a radiant woman representing Wisdom, pointing to the gods and triumphing over Envy, who lies defeated under ground. The allegory is explained in a long poem that usually accompanies the print but is absent in the Museum's impression. This masterpiece of engraving was published in Florence one year after the death of Cort, who worked for more than a decade in Italy.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Lament of the Art of Painting
  • Artist: Cornelis Cort (Netherlandish, Hoorn ca. 1533–1578 Rome)
  • Artist: After Federico Zuccaro (Zuccari) (Italian, Sant'Angelo in Vado 1540/42–1609 Ancona)
  • Date: 1579
  • Medium: Engraving; two plates printed on two sheets
  • Dimensions: Sheet (upper plate): 14 1/4 × 21 1/8 in. (36.2 × 53.7 cm)
    Sheet (lower plate): 14 11/16 × 21 1/8 in. (37.3 × 53.7 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Charles Z. Offin Fund, 1988
  • Object Number: 1988.1086
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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St Jerome in the Desert, Cornelis Cort Netherlandish, Engraving
St Jerome in the Desert
Cornelis Cort
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)
1565
Birth of the Virgin, Cornelis Cort Netherlandish, Engraving
Birth of the Virgin
Cornelis Cort
Federico Zuccaro (Zuccari)
1578
Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, Cornelis Cort Netherlandish, Engraving
Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
Cornelis Cort
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)
1571
The Conversion of Saint Paul
Cornelis Cort
Giulio Clovio
1576
Noli me tangere
Multiple artists/makers
1567

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