Fishermen catching a sea monster

An engraving by Adamo Ghisi (also known as Adamo Scultori) reproducing a drawing by Giulio Romano depicting fishermen on three boats catching a sea monster now in the Louvre, Paris (inv. no. 3560). The print was known to Bartsch with the monogram of the printmaker, which is not visible on this impression. Annotated on the verso. Trimmed within the platemark.

The drawing is a study for one of the sixteen medallions in the Sala dei Venti, Palazzo Te, Mantua. A private room of Federico II Gonzaga, this room was decorated with stuccoes and paintings between 1527 and 1528 by Agostino da Mozzanica, Anselmo Guazzi, Benedetto Pagni, Girolamo da Treviso and Rinaldo Mantovano from drawings by Giulio Romano. The decorative program of the room is well explained by an inscription, above a door, which affirms that the destiny of a man depends on the influence of the stars at the time of his birth. This scene represents human actions under the sign of Pisces, with which the constellation of the Whale is associated.

In the online catalogue of the drawings in the Louvre (see Bibliographic References), it has been noted that the rhythm of the group of fishermen leaning overboard to lift the nets is reminiscent of the soldiers drawn by Michelangelo in The Battle of Cascina.