Figure with Pig and Serpent, from "Ex Antiquis Cameorum et Gemmae Delineata/ Liber Secundus/et ab Enea Vico Parmen Incis"

Art Historical Context

This engraving, titled *Figure with Pig and Serpent*, comes from the publication *Ex Antiquis Cameorum et Gemmae Delineata*, a seventeenth-century volume dedicated to documenting ancient cameos and gems. Created in the third state and published between 1599 and 1622, the print reflects the Renaissance passion for classical antiquity. Artists and scholars like Enea Vico, along with contributors such as Battista Franco and Philippe Thomassin, worked to preserve and circulate images of these small, precious objects through detailed engravings. Measuring just over three by four inches, the work demonstrates the precision of the engraving technique, which allowed intricate details from original gems to be reproduced for study and appreciation. The scene of a male figure accompanied by a pig and serpent likely draws from mythological or symbolic motifs common in ancient Roman or Greek art, capturing the curiosity of early collectors about the meanings hidden in these miniature treasures. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this piece highlights how prints served as vital tools for sharing knowledge of the ancient world during the early modern period. Its inclusion in the Elisha Whittelsey Collection underscores its value as both an artistic and historical document.

About the Artist

Francesco Angeloni|Battista Franco|Philippe Thomassin|Enea Vico|Anonymous, Italian, 16th century (Italian|Italian|French|Italian|Italian) · 1559 |1510 |1562 |1523 |1500 –1652 |1561 |1622 |1567 |1600

Terni 1559 or 1587–1652 Rome|Italian, Venice ca. 1510–1561 Venice|French, Troyes 1562–1622 Rome|Italian, Parma 1523–1567 Ferrara|