The Calumny of Apelles (1500/1506): Artwork and History

The Calumny of Apelles (1500/1506) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Girolamo Mocetto (Italian, c. 1470-after 1531) after Andrea Mantegna (Italian, 1431-1506).

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Although he probably never met Andrea Mantegna, the Venetian painter-engraver Girolamo Mocetto nevertheless based this print on a drawing (now in the British Museum, London) by the older artist. Later, Rembrandt also copied the same drawing, and may have owned it for a time. Mocetto altered the composition by placing the scene, an allegory of calumny (or false accusation), in the Campo de Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, with Andrea del Verrocchio’s famous equestrian monument to Bartolomeo Colleoni in the background. This print is a unique early state before final shading was added to the basilica dome.

Object facts

• Title: The Calumny of Apelles
• Date: 1500/1506
• Artist attribution: Girolamo Mocetto (Italian, c. 1470-after 1531) after Andrea Mantegna (Italian, 1431-1506)
• Place of origin: Italy
• Medium: Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
• Dimensions: 31.8 × 45.7 cm (12 9/16 × 18 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1962.806

Collection credit

Charles Greene Fund

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.