Date of Printing: 1590 • Medium: Engraving (B&W) • Subject Category: Mythological • Signed: Unsigned • Period Created: Renaissance (1351 - 1599) • Plate Size HxWxD cm: 13.5 x 22.2 • Leaf Paper Size HxW cm: 25 x 20 • Style: Original Vintage • Print on Verso: Blank on verso • Condition: Excellent • Edition Type: Single Print • Paper Type: Laid Paper, Watermarked • Framed: Print only
This is an original, master engraving by Giovan Battista Cavalieri, issued in 1590. In excellent condition.
Castor and Pollux as cherubs. In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux, or Kastor and Polydeuces, were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri or Dioskouroi. Their mother was Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son of Zeus, who seduced Leda in the guise of a swan. Though accounts of their birth are varied, they are sometimes said to have been born from an egg, along with their twin sisters or half-sisters Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra.