Maerten de Vos, Horatius Cocles, after 1600
Lead Plaque with the Roman Hero Horatius Cocles
Details
- Title: Maerten de Vos, Horatius Cocles, after 1600
- Object Type: Plaque
- Dating Period: 17th Century
- Material: Lead
- Technique: Drawn, Cast
- Diameter: 13.6 cm
- Acquisition Date: 1989
- Inventory number: D 140 / D 140 A
- Permalink: https://www.draiflessen.com/items/132
Description
Drawings had various functions for artists, including serving as designs for other art forms. This drawing by Maerten de Vos (1532–1603) is a good example of this, as it was the model for the motif on a silver plaque. This is evidenced not only by the round shape, but also by the fact that the drawing was “pressed through.” In this technique, the contour lines are traced and transferred to another material. In this case, it was a silver plate from which a plaque was then made. The plaque still exists and is in a Swiss private collection. A cast lead copy was also made, which is part of the Liberna Collection together with the drawing.
It depicts a battle from classical antiquity: the Roman hero Horatius Cocles is standing in the middle of the bridge to Rome—recognizable by the classical buildings in the background. He is said to have single-handedly prevented the Etruscans under their commander Porsenna from conquering the city in 507 BC. So while Cocles fended off the enemy, his men destroyed the bridge behind him.