print
- Museum number
- 1895,0122.1215
- Description
-
Atalanta and Mealeager hunting the Calydonian boar
Woodcut
- Production date
- 1500-1510
- Dimensions
-
Height: 271 millimetres
-
Width: 442 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- See M. McDonald 'Ferdinand Columbus: Renaissance Collector', London, 2005, n.13.
The scene depicts the savage boar sent by Artemis to wreak havoc on Calydon after she had been ignored during the annual sacrifice. The bravest warriors were sent to hunt the boar; at the left the great huntress Atalanta was the first to draw blood with one of her arrows. Of all Palumba's prints, this is one of the most successful because of its pictorial unity. In various states of dress the figures encircle the wild beast. The subject also allows for a dramatic exploration of the body in motion.
The naked man at the far right recalls the same figure in Pollaiuolo's battle of the Nude Men. Because the figures are presented to the viewer like a sculptural frieze, other sources such a Trajan's column in Rome and a fresco in the Villa Farnesina in the same city have been proposed.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
2004 Jun-July, Madrid, 'LaCaixa', Ferdinand Columbus
2004 Oct-Dec, Seville, Salon Alto del Apeadero, Ferdinand Columbus
- Acquisition date
- 1895
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1895,0122.1215
