Rhea Silvia 1532

Heinrich Aldegrever created this engraving, Rhea Silvia, in the 1530s, a time of great religious and social upheaval in Northern Europe. Aldegrever was one of the German so-called ‘Little Masters,’ printmakers who made small-scale engravings for a humanist audience. Here, he depicts a scene from Roman mythology – the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia being led away after secretly giving birth to the twins Romulus and Remus. Her punishment for breaking her vow of chastity was to be buried alive, while the infants were cast adrift on the Tiber. The imagery reflects the period’s complex attitudes toward female agency, religious authority, and classical heritage. The tale would have been very familiar to educated viewers of the time, interested in rediscovering the ancient world and making parallels between the Roman Empire and their own. Art historians use a wide range of sources, including surviving prints, historical texts, and social histories, to examine the institutional forces that shape the production and consumption of art.