The Banquet at the House of Tarquinius, or The Banquet of Turquinius Collatinus
Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), The Banquet at the House of Tarquinius, or The Banquet of Turquinius Collatinus, engraving, c. 1578. References: Bartsch 104, Hirschmann 171, Strauss 17, only state. First of the series (of 4) The History of Lucretia. In very good condition (tiny printer’s creases at bottom edge away from image), with thread margins on old laid paper with part of a Gothic P watermark, 8 1/8 x 9 1/8 inches, archival mounting.
A fine impression of this brilliant, complex masterpiece.
Art historian Carl Van Mander particularly admired this engraving, especially because Goltzius -contrary to custom – clothed his figures in modern (16th C) Netherlandish costume.
During the siege of the city of Ardea by the Roman king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus two of his sons and his nephew Collatinus, with some downtime to spare, returned to Rome with the idea of paying a surprise visit to their wives. They found the wives at a banquet but Lucretia, the wife of Collatinus was at home; later one of the men (Sextus) raped her.
$2200