The Flight of Cloelia - Giulio Bonasone

A detailed sixteenth-century engraving by Giulio Bonasone depicting the Roman heroine Cloelia escaping her captors across the River Tiber.

This engraving by Giulio Bonasone depicts the Roman heroine Cloelia, who, according to Livy, escaped her Etruscan captors by swimming across the River Tiber. Bonasone, a Bolognese artist active during the mid-sixteenth century, was known for his technical skill in reproducing the works of contemporary masters through the medium of print. This composition demonstrates his command of the burin, using varied line weights to define the musculature of the figures and the turbulent movement of the water.

The scene is constructed with a focus on the narrative action. Cloelia is shown mounted on a horse, crossing the river, while other figures observe from the banks. The background features tents, suggesting a military encampment, and trees rendered with precise, rhythmic hatching. The drapery of the figures exhibits the fluid, elongated forms characteristic of the Mannerist influence present in Italian art of the period. Bonasone often collaborated with publishers such as Antonio Lafreri, whose name appears on the plate, indicating the commercial circulation of such prints among collectors and scholars of the era.

The print reflects the interest in classical history that defined the Renaissance period. By translating complex painterly compositions into black and white, Bonasone allowed for the wider dissemination of mythological and historical subjects. The attention to anatomical detail and the dramatic tension of the escape are typical of the period's focus on human agency and classical virtue. The work remains a clear example of the high level of craftsmanship achieved by Italian printmakers in the sixteenth century, providing a window into how classical narratives were interpreted and visualised for a contemporary audience.