A Soldier Killing a Naked Man

Description

The copying of a Venetian work by an Augsburg printmaker attests to the strong commercial ties linking the two cities in this period. This image reverses the composition of a print by Agostino Veneziano, an artist who worked in the circle of Marcantonio Raimondi in Rome and who participated in the diffusion of the compositions of Raphael and Michelangelo, as well as designing his own prints. The subject of this etching, a Roman soldier attempting to decapitate a nude man, reflects a long tradition of prints showing fighting figures. It is unclear whether this is intended as a representation of a specific historical encounter, a generic battle, or possibly an allegory of virtue over vice. The framing of these active combatants in a niche, most suitable as a housing for a single, static figure, contributes to the puzzling nature of this scene.
Exhibition label text for "Venice, Traditions Transformed," September 21, 1996 - January 12, 1997 by Annette Dixon and Monika Schmitter.
Hieronymous Hopfer was a member of a prominent Augsburg printmaking family. He and his brother Lambert (active ca. 1525-1550) made their living by reproducing the works of German and Italian artists. Hopfer made the present print, which reproduces a work by a Venetian artist, while still in Augsburg before becoming active in Nuremberg.
The subject of this etching, a Roman soldier attempting to decapitate a nude man, reflects a long tradition of prints showing fighting figures. It is unclear whether the print was intended as a representation of a specific historical encounter, a generic battle, or possibly an allegory of virtue over vice. The framing of these active combatants in a niche, most suitable as housing for a single, static figure, contributes to the puzzling nature of this image.
Gallery label text by Annette Dixon, Curator