Antique Lidded Vase with Two Handles emerging from the Heads of Hybrid Female Sphinxes, from Vases after the Antique

Art Historical Context

Created by the Italian engraver Enea Vico around 1543, this print belongs to his influential series *Vases after the Antique*. It faithfully records a Roman vessel whose handles rise dramatically from the heads of hybrid female sphinxes, their bodies merging into scrolling forms adorned with garlands. The lidded form, rich with ornamental detail, reflects the Renaissance fascination with classical objects that combined utility and sculptural fantasy. Vico’sgravings played a vital role in spreading knowledge of ancient design across Europe. Artists, goldsmiths, and architects studied these prints as models, helping to revive classical motifs in everything from metalwork to architectural decoration. As a second-state impression, the plate shows Vico’s careful revisions, demonstrating how printmakers refined their lines to capture the subtle modeling and textures of marble or bronze originals. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Drawings and Prints, the work exemplifies the period’s new emphasis on accurate visual documentation. Through precise burin work, Vico transformed a three-dimensional antiquity into a portable, reproducible image that continues to educate viewers about the enduring dialogue between ancient craftsmanship and Renaissance invention.

About the Artist

Enea Vico · 1523–1567

Enea Vico (1523–1567) was born in Parma and came of age during the final, energetic decades of Italian Renaissance printmaking. By 1541 he had made his way to Rome, where he entered the orbit of the engraver and publisher Tommaso Barlacchi and began his professional career. In Rome, Vico encountered the work of the most celebrated printmakers of the preceding generation—Marcantonio Raimondi, Agost...