I Modi, Plate 6

This monochromatic print depicts an erotic scene in a stylized, neoclassical interior. The male figure, seen from behind, stands on the edge of a tufted bed, his body braced as he engages in sexual intercourse with a woman lying on her back, her legs raised and her head resting on her arms. To the left, a sword in its scabbard hangs against a draped cloth wall covering. To the right, an elaborate architectural structure, resembling a canopy or headboard with a lattice-work top, frames the bed. The figures are rendered with defined musculature and smooth shading.

This work is a 19th-century imitation of 'I Modi' (The Ways), a 16th-century series of erotic engravings designed by Giulio Romano and engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi. The original series caused a major scandal in the Vatican, leading to the arrest of the engraver and the destruction of the plates, becoming a landmark of Renaissance censorship and erotic art.