Plate 14: Erichthonius Released from his Basket (Erichtonius cistella laxata cernitur), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' 1606

Antonio Tempesta's etching "Plate 14: Erichthonius Released from his Basket (Erichtonius cistella laxata cernitur), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'" depicts the moment Erichthonius, a mythical king of Athens, is discovered as a child in a basket. The three daughters of Cecrops, who were charged to raise him, find him after accidentally opening the basket, which was forbidden by Athena. The artwork, created in 1606, utilizes linework and shading to emphasize the dramatic moment and capture the detail of the figures and the landscape. This print is part of a larger series of engravings illustrating Ovid's Metamorphoses, a collection of Roman myths.