Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00011612The River God Tiber (Study for a fresco, Miracle of the Snow, or the Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome in the Canigiani chapel of S. Felicita, Florence)
Also known as: A River God; Study for a fresco, Miracle of the Snow, or the Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome in the Canigiani chapel of S. Felicita, Florence
About the Artwork
Since ancient times, artists have depicted river gods as reclining bearded men, often holding or leaning on a large urn pouring water. This example, a preparatory sketch for a painting, personifies the Tiber River, which plays a role in Rome’s legendary origins. Romulus, the founder of Rome, and his twin brother, Remus, were abandoned as infants at the river, where they were rescued by a she-wolf. Poccetti lightly sketched the animal’s head behind the river god along with the face of Romulus or Remus.
Provenance
Herbert List [1903-1975], Munich, Germany (Wolfgang Ratjen [1943-1997], Vaduz, Liechtenstein) (Frederick J. Cummings [1933-1990], New York, NY) 1990: (W. M. Brady and Co., New York, NY) 1990-2012: Private collection, New York, NY June 4, 2012: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Bernardino Poccetti (Italian, 1548–1612)
- Date
- 1589
- Medium
- black chalk on antique laid paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 23.6 x 30.9 cm (9 5/16 x 12 3/16 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
- Accession no.
- 2012.36
More by Bernardino Poccetti in museum collections
Public collection via the Art Institute of Chicago
AT-00003567
Public collection via the Art Institute of Chicago
AT-00004385
Two Studies of Carthusians (recto); Three Sketches of Heads of Carthusians (verso)
Bernardino Poccetti1591/92 · Drawing
Public collection via the Art Institute of Chicago
AT-00004573
Seated Male Figure with the Head of an Onlooker (recto); Standing Male Figure in a Monk's Habit (verso)
Bernardino Poccetti1548–1612 · Drawing
Public collection via the Metropolitan Museum of Art
AT-00020100
Open-access museum record · AT-00011612
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