Michiel Coxie I (1499–1592?), The Abduction of Ganymede, early 1530s, Pen and brown ink on paper, 176 × 136 mm, the British Museum
Michiel Coxie I (1499–1592?), Jupiter and Leda, early 1530s, Pen and brown ink on paper, 172 × 134 mm, the British Museum
Coxie arrived in Rome around 1532, in his early thirties, at a time when the city was still recovering from the Sack of 1527. He remained for seven years, a period long enough to immerse himself in the accumulated riches of the Renaissance, including the principles of classical antiquity, Raphael’s compositional clarity, and direct access to Michelangelo’s drawings. From these influences, he adopted the figure of Ganymede, almost without alteration, as depicted here.
These two sheets belong to a series of ten print designs illustrating the loves of Jupiter, inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The indented lines confirm their intended use for transfer. Coxie utilised small cross-hatchings to create volume on the torsos and parallel strokes to delineate space. This technique is Italian, as is the confident rendering of the nude—a fluidity with the naked body that the northern tradition had not yet mastered. Coxie acquired this proficiency through direct study of classical sculpture and the artistic environment in Rome.
His Roman years earned him the nickname ‘the Flemish Raphael’, a recognition to the high regard in which his contemporaries held him and how completely he had assimilated the Italian Renaissance tradition.
References
The British Museum (n.d.) Michiel Coxie I (1499–1592), The Abduction of Ganymede by Jupiter, early 1530s, museum no. 1861,0112.1. Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1861-0112-1 (Accessed: 16 April 2026).
The British Museum (n.d.) Michiel Coxie I (1499–1592), Jupiter, in the form of a swan, making love to Leda, early 1530s, museum no. 1861,0112.8. Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1861-0112-8 (Accessed: 16 April 2026).
The British Museum (n.d.) Virgil Solis, after Michiel Coxie I (1499–1592), Leda and the swan, from ‘The Loves of Jupiter’, 1530–1562, museum no. 1837,0616.28. Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1837-0616-28 (Accessed: 16 April 2026).
Jonckheere, K. (ed.) (2013) Michiel Coxcie (1499–1592) and the giants of his age. Turnhout: Harvey Miller.
Jonckheere, K. (ed.) (2013) Michiel Coxcie and the giants of his age. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/12896271/Michiel_Coxcie_and_the_Giants_of_his_Age_Selection (Accessed: 17 April 2026).