Roman Soldiers Before an Emperor

An engraving on blue-tinted paper shows armored soldiers with plumed helmets and spears standing on a tiled floor before a seated, laurel-crowned figure who gestures toward them. A stone pedestal in the foreground carries a carved panel, while a standing soldier at right holds a shield.

Look closer: A soldier at the far left wears a plumed helmet and looks up toward the emperor.

Artist

Giorgio Ghisi

Date

before 1540 (?)

Medium

Engraving on blue paper

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3608 × 2371 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951