Caesar Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl c. 1550 - 1570

This print, Caesar Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl, was made by Marco dell'Angolo del Moro. The image depicts a scene from Roman mythology, where the emperor Augustus asks the Tiburtine Sibyl if he should accept the title of emperor. The Sibyl, a prophetess, has a vision of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child, which she presents to Augustus as a sign that he should not accept the title, because a greater emperor will come. Prints like this one circulated widely in sixteenth-century Europe, a time when artists, intellectuals, and political figures were very interested in ancient history. The story of the Tiburtine Sibyl would have been familiar from texts, plays and other artworks. Here, the artist revisits it to make commentary on contemporary society. The image legitimizes the idea of a ruler who puts spiritual authority above earthly power. To understand it fully, we need to look at the history of printmaking, the history of religion, and the political ideas of the 1500s. Approaching art history this way shows how artworks were part of a much wider world.