Orestes and Pylades brought to Iphigenia for Sacrifice
1525
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1525
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This engraving shows a tense moment. A woman in priestess robes stands between two bound men. The scene is dark except for a torch beside her. She reaches out to one man’s face. The story comes from Greek myth. The woman, Iphigenia, didn’t know her brother Orestes was alive. She was about to sacrifice him until she recognized him. The artist carved tiny details. Look for the torch’s flickering light on the figures. Check out the technique called chiaroscuro next.
