Hercules and Antaeus

This is yet another composition where a classical model served as a source of inspiration to Raphael - this time, it was a group sculpture dating to the 2nd century B.C., held in the Vatican collections. The displayed work is an excellent impression - one of the best of Raimondi’s prints owned by the National Gallery in Prague. It shows rather convincingly the intention of both the engraver and Raphael: to achieve a tonal image that, in black-and-white range, imitates painting. Graphic works by Raimondi were highly valued, with the publishers printing from his matrices long after the engraver’s death. Their frequent use, however, was heavily damaging and the later impressions therefore give a deformed image of Raimondi’s artistic efforts. They lack the initially wide scale of greys and blacks, thus looking rather linear and missing subtle details.