Diogenes seated with his barrel behind him, and reading a book while holding a stick that rests on a geometry book to his right

Diogenes seated with his barrel behind him, and reading a book while holding a stick that rests on a geometry book to his right

Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This engraving of the Greek philosopher Diogenes follows a design by Parmigianino. In contrast to The Marriage of the Virgin it is striking how little of the copper plate Caraglio left unworked, using controlled tonal differences to achieve a highly nuanced chiaroscuro palette. This change may have been due to greater involvement by Parmigianino himself, who likely created his preparatory drawing with a print in mind. The painter actively thought about the translation of tonality in this design as is suggested by his decision to also have the drawing reproduced in a chiaroscuro woodcut by Ugo da Carpi (Italian, ca. 1480–1532) in Bologna, not long after Caraglio made this engraving.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Diogenes seated with his barrel behind him, and reading a book while holding a stick that rests on a geometry book to his rightDiogenes seated with his barrel behind him, and reading a book while holding a stick that rests on a geometry book to his rightDiogenes seated with his barrel behind him, and reading a book while holding a stick that rests on a geometry book to his rightDiogenes seated with his barrel behind him, and reading a book while holding a stick that rests on a geometry book to his rightDiogenes seated with his barrel behind him, and reading a book while holding a stick that rests on a geometry book to his right

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.