Erotic Scene from I Modi (Plate 16)

The print shows a muscular, bearded man standing behind a nude woman who is kneeling on a block pedestal decorated with sculptural, child-like faces and acanthus-style ornamentation. The man, seen in profile, grips the woman's hips with one hand and her shoulder with the other. The woman is positioned on all fours, turning her head to look back at the viewer with an neutral, calm expression. The background consists of heavy drapery on the left and a floor with a simple square tile pattern. The scene is rendered in monochromatic washes with precise, neoclassical outlines.

This work is a 19th-century imitation or reinterpretation of 'I Modi', a notorious collection of erotic engravings originally designed by Giulio Romano and engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi in the 16th century. The work reflects the 19th-century antiquarian interest in reviving and scandalizing the Renaissance erotic tradition.