Bernard Picart (1673-1733) - Prometeo

This work by Bernard Picart illustrates the mythological scene in which, Prometheus, for having given fire to humans, suffers the wrath of Zeus and is chained to a rock at the edge of the Earth.
The eagle is devouring its liver, which, regenerating every day, becomes the daily meal of endless torture.
What identifies the character as Prometheus is the lit torch in the bottom right corner, a tool with which the titan had gifted humanity fire.
The eagle, an attribute of Zeus, becomes the messenger of the revenge of the father of the gods.

The work is part of his famous series 'The Temple of the Muses' and is based on an episode from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
1733
Signed on both plates.


Picart Bernard: engraver
Van Diepenbeeck Abraham (before 1596/1675): designer

The engraving is titled in French, English, German, and Dutch.
Stamped with two slabs.

From the classic print portfolio of Picart, The Temple of the Muses, a collection of sixty plates designed and engraved by Bernard Picart. (The artist also created the ornamental borders, engraved separately, that surround each image.)
Of course, the work of creating these large and complex works of art was very time-consuming, and the entire project took three years to complete. The complete series was published in Amsterdam by Chatelain in 1733, the year of Bernard Picart's death.

The work is an original etching.
Impressed on a lightly creased letter in excellent condition with good margins, recently watercolor-painted.
Also preserved in the collection of the Museum of Capodimonte.

Bernard Picart (1673-1733) was a French engraver and illustrator best known for his book illustrations, including those for the Bible and Ovid.
Picart lived and worked in Amsterdam and was a converted Huguenot.