Anaxarete Seeing the Dead Iphis - Antonio Tempesta

A detailed 1606 etching by Antonio Tempesta illustrating the tragic Ovidian myth of Anaxarete and Iphis.

This etching by Antonio Tempesta depicts a tragic moment from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The narrative concerns the youth Iphis, who, rejected by the princess Anaxarete, takes his own life by hanging. Tempesta captures the instant Anaxarete encounters the body, an event that leads to her transformation into stone as punishment for her coldness. The artist employs a clear, linear style typical of his printmaking practice, using cross-hatching to define the architectural space and the heavy folds of the figures' garments.

Tempesta was a prolific draughtsman and printmaker based in Rome. His work often focused on classical mythology and biblical narratives, produced for a wide audience of collectors and scholars. The composition is structured with a strong sense of theatre: the columns on the left frame the hanging figure of Iphis, while Anaxarete stands in the foreground, her gesture of shock drawing the viewer into the scene. The Latin inscription at the base, 'Iphidis suspendium animaduertens Anaxarete in lapidem mutatur', provides the necessary context for the viewer, identifying the specific mythological transformation occurring within the frame.

As a master of the etching medium, Tempesta utilised precise line work to convey both the physical weight of the architecture and the emotional gravity of the myth. The print reflects the broader interest in classical literature that defined the intellectual culture of the early seventeenth century. This piece is part of a larger series illustrating Ovidian tales, demonstrating the artist's ability to condense complex narrative arcs into a single, readable image. The stark contrast between the static, hanging figure and the dynamic, reacting princess creates a tension that is characteristic of Tempesta's approach to storytelling through visual media.