Phalaris Having Perillus Thrown into the Bronze Bull 1620 - 1664

Stefano della Bella's etching, "Phalaris Having Perillus Thrown into the Bronze Bull," depicts the cruel tyrant Phalaris of Agrigentum, who invented a device to torture his enemies. The scene shows Phalaris, seated in a throne-like structure, watching as a man is shoved into the bronze bull by a group of figures. This dramatic artwork, created between 1620 and 1664, uses detailed linework to evoke a sense of violence and spectacle, emphasizing the cruelty of Phalaris's reign.