Marcus Valerius Corvus, from the series The Roman Heroes,

1586

<p>As in the seven other engravings of muscular men in Goltzius’s <em>The Roman Heroes</em> series, the background details of this composition reflect the artist’s reading of the Roman historian Livy, who related that Marcus Valerius, a military commander and consul during the Roman Republic, was assisted by a raven during his combat with a Gallic warrior—prompting the nickname “Corvus” (the Latin for “raven”). Typical of the series, the figure strikes an exaggerated pose, with his right arm twisted behind his back, and makes an elaborate gesture with his hand—an approach to the human figure we see elsewhere in the Wilder collection.</p>