Drawing, Whale Hunt by the Emperor Claudius at Ostia

This is a Drawing. It was created by Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus and published by Philips Galle and engraved by Adriaen Collaert and subject: Pliny the Elder. It is dated ca. 1596 or before and we acquired it in 1901. Its medium is recto: pen and brown ink, brush and brown and black washes over black chalk on laid paper verso: pen and brown ink on laid paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Battling with an Orca.

It is credited Museum purchase through gift of various donors.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 10.3 × 13.8 cm (4 1/16 × 5 7/16 in.)

It is inscribed

Verso: "nel porto de Hostia claudio imperadore prese un orca pesse balena / era venuta quivi allettata dal naufragio di pelle venute di francia / le quali seguendo si ficco nel lido, Cesare fece tendere molto reti / alle focci del porto et andandovi / con i soldati di sua guardia fece / vedere bello spettacolo al popolo Romano tiranano i soldati / lange da barchetti, uno de quali si sommerse essendo ripeno / al aqua che sottiava la bestia nel medesimo capitolo"

Cite this object as