The Tiburtine Sibyl and Augustus
Italy, 1527-1530
Chiaroscuro woodcut
337 × 254 mm
This woodcut depicts the legend of Sibyl (a female prophet) who revealed a vision of the Virgin and Christ, the child who would eclipse all the Roman gods, to Emperor Augustus. This tale, featured in The Golden Legend connected Ancient and Christian Rome; it implies the foreknowledge of Christ by the greatest Roman emperor.
Purchased in January 1958 (No. 58.2)