Rhea Sylvia
Rhea Sylvia
Foto: Kunstpalast - LVR-ZMB - Annette Hiller

Rhea Sylvia, ca. 1517–1561

ArtistHeinrich Aldegrever, Paderborn 1502–1561 Soest
Engraving
Sheet dimensions14,9 × 10 cm
Status
not on display
About the work
Although the depiction of nudity flourished during the Renaissance, female and male sexual characteristics were usually covered by cloths, foliage or hands placed over the body parts. The pubic hair skilfully depicted in Heinrich Aldegrever's engraving is a rarity for this period. It portrays the king’s daughter Rhea Sylvia, who, according to myth, was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. Aldegrever was one of the most important Renaissance engravers and painters north of the Alps.
Accession Acquired from the Hetjens museum 1928
Provenance[...]; 1928 übernommen aus dem Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf
Inventory numberK 1928-509
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