Capitoline Wolf with Romulus and Remus

Italian 16th Century

National Gallery of Art

Printed with delicate black lines and hatching on cream-white paper, a she-wolf stands as two male infants attempt to nurse at her teats in this horizontal engraving. The wolf stands sideways facing our left with her head turned to look at us, eight teats hanging heavily along her underside. Her wide eyes are framed by raised but furrowed brows, and cup-like ears curl back on her round head. Her jaws are slightly open revealing sharp teeth. Her lean body is partly covered by tight clusters of parallel, undulating lines around her head, neck, and along her back, suggesting fur. Beneath her, one boy sits, rocking back on a low rock, and the other kneels. Both tilt their heads back and spread their arms wide as they reach for her teats. The wolf and boys are on a slab-like plinth, which in turn rests on a base inscribed with text on its face. The Latin text reads, “LVPAE ROMVLVM ET REMVM VRBIS CONDITORES LACTANTIS ANTIQVVM AC AENEVM IN CAPITOLIO SIGNVM. ANT LAFRERII FORMIS ROMAE MDLII.”