The Death of Procris (c. 1540): Art, History and Details

The Death of Procris (c. 1540) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Giorgio Ghisi (Italian, 1520–1582); Giulio Romano (Italian, 1492/99–1546).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

In the complicated tale of Procris and Cephalus, told by the poet Ovid (43 BC–AD 17), jealousy tragically thwarts their true love and fidelity. Fearing that Cephalus loves a nymph, Procris spies on her husband while he is hunting. When Cephalus hears Procris rustling in the woods, he mistakes her for game and throws his magical spear that never misses its mark. In this print, the chorus of expressive satyrs and nymphs mourning her death highlights the heartbreaking drama of this love story. Romano’s intricate composition also includes Aurora, the goddess of dawn, in her chariot, and distant buildings that refer to the couple’s home in Athens.

Object facts

• Title: The Death of Procris
• Date: c. 1540
• Creator attribution: Giorgio Ghisi (Italian, 1520–1582); Giulio Romano (Italian, 1492/99–1546)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 40.4 x 57.5 cm (15 7/8 x 22 5/8 in.); Platemark: 39.7 x 57.2 cm (15 5/8 x 22 1/2 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1985.171

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1985.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 73, no. 2 (February 1986): 26–71.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.