Keizer Augustus en de Tiburtijnse Sibille 1520 - 1567

Lambertus Suavius created this engraving entitled ‘Keizer Augustus en de Tiburtijnse Sibille’ sometime around the mid-16th century. Here we see the Roman Emperor Augustus kneeling before the Tiburtine Sibyl, a pagan prophetess, as she gestures towards a vision of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child. Made in the Netherlands during a period of religious upheaval, this image speaks to the complex relationship between Christianity and classical antiquity during the Renaissance. While the classical world was often viewed as pagan and antithetical to Christianity, Renaissance artists and intellectuals sought to reconcile the two. In this print, the artist uses the figure of the Sibyl to legitimize Christianity by suggesting that its coming was foretold by the ancient world. To understand the nuances of this work, scholars consult a range of primary sources, from theological treatises to emblem books, to better understand the cultural context in which it was created.