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Georg Pencz

The Triumph of Fame, plate three from the Triumphs of Petrarch

c. 1539
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
13.9 × 20.9 cm (5.5 × 8.2 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Petrarch’s beloved poem about Fame lends itself well to being illustrated as a parade, and so Pencz could easily have adopted this imagery of ancient triumphal processions from recent works in print and paint by the late-15th-century artist Andrea Mantegna. Indeed, Pencz visited Mantua during his trip to Italy and may have seen some of Mantegna’s work there. Pencz’s curiously squat and diminutive elephants, stubby human figures, and oversize sculptural remnants all suggest a familiarity with Mantegna’s dramatic perspectives and cast of historical characters.

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More by Georg Pencz

The Seige of CarthageThe Seige of CarthageThe Triumph of Death on Time, from The Triumph of PetrarchThe Triumph of Death on Time, from The Triumph of PetrarchThe Life of Jesus Christ: The Descent of the Holy GhostThe Life of Jesus Christ: The Descent of the Holy GhostThe Triumph of Death on Time, from The Triumph of PetrarchThe Triumph of Death on Time, from The Triumph of PetrarchThe Triumph of Death, plate five from The Triumphs of PetrarchThe Triumph of Death, plate five from The Triumphs of PetrarTarquinius Rapes Lucretia, from Scenes from Roman HistoryTarquinius Rapes Lucretia, from Scenes from Roman HistorySuicide of Lucretia, from "Scenes from Roman History"Suicide of Lucretia, from "Scenes from Roman History"Christ Sleeping During the Storm on Lake Tiberias, from The Story of ChristChrist Sleeping During the Storm on Lake Tiberias, from The

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