Image scanned from a transparency and color-corrected by Pat Cagney.

A Roman Abducting a Sabine Woman

Artist Jan Harmensz Muller (Dutch, 1571 - 1628)

ArtistAfter Adriaen de Vries (Dutch, 1545-1626)

CultureDutch

Dateca. 1595-1600

MediumEngraving on laid paper

Dimensions17 1/8 x 11 5/8 in. (43.5 x 29.5 cm)
Overall, Frame: 28 1/4 × 23 3/8 in. (71.8 × 59.4 cm)

InscribedAll three of these engravings are numbered and inscribed with the names of inventor (De Vries) and engraver (Muller). Plates 1 and 2 are inscribed at the bottom with texts in Latin.

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number98.7.2

Not on view

DescriptionThis engraving features the heroic nude figures of a man and woman in the foreground and buildings and landscape in the background. Also in the background are figures suggestive of a battle scene.

Label TextJan Muller Dutch, 1571–1628 after Adrian de Vries Dutch, ca. 1545–1626 A Roman Abducting a Sabine Woman, ca. 1595–1600 Engravings (prints) on laid paper Take a moment to look at the sculpture behind you. Hubert Gerhard’s elegant Mercury, the ancient Roman messenger of the gods, was designed to be viewed in the round—its complex spiraling motion unfolding as the viewer encircles it. How would a printmaker evoke this dynamic experience in 2-D? Jan Muller does so in a print series that depicts another famous 16th-century sculpture, Adrien de Vries’ A Roman Abducting a Sabine Woman, simultaneously from three different viewpoints. The subject—the legendary story of ancient Roman men abducting the neighboring Sabine women—was a Renaissance favorite, allowing artists to depict muscular bodies flexing in dynamic positions. Muller’s solution is a lighthearted challenge to the art of sculpture, suggesting that printmaking, despite its 2-D limitations, can outdo the sculptor’s craft. A sculpture requires the viewer to move through space and time to experience it. Muller’s series allows viewers to take in all dimensions at once, without moving an inch! Museum purchase 98.7.1–.3 ProvenancePROVENANCE: Collection V. E. (bears mark V.E.: Lught, 2512, as unknown, probably German Exhibition History"Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "Serial Thrillers: The Lure of Old Master Print Series," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 1, 2015 - January 10, 2016. Published ReferencesSale, Sotheby's, London, June 17-28, 1995, No. 70.