Plate 9: Vase or Ewer with a Serpent Handle and Two Putti holding up a Garland, from Antique Vases (‘Vasa a Polydoro Caravagino’)
Medium
Etching and engraving; second state of three (Bartsch)
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 5/16 × 6 7/16 in. (23.7 × 16.3 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.608
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the ornate world of Renaissance ornament with *Plate 9: Vase or Ewer with a Handle and Two Putti up a Garland*, a captivating etching and engraving from 1605. Created as part of the series *ique Vases (‘Vasa a Polydoroavagino’)*, print draws on designs attributed Polidoro da Caravaggio the famed Mannerist fresco artist, and was realized through the skilled hands of engravers Cherubino Alberti Aegidius Sadeler II, and Marcus Sadeler. Measuring just 9 5/16 × 6 7/16 inches, its second state of three (per Bartsch catalog) showcases the intricate interplay of etching's fluid lines and engraving's precise detailing. This work exemplifies the era's fascination with classical antiquity, reproducing motifs from ancient Roman vases—sinuous serpent handles, playful putti (cherubic infants), and lush garlands. Such ornamental prints served as pattern books for artists, architects, and craftsmen, fueling the grotesque style that adorned palaces, furniture, and ceramics during the late Renaissance and early Baroque. Polidoro's influence, rooted in his innovative facade decorations on Roman buildings, made these designs hugely popular across Europe. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece highlights how prints democratized high art, preserving and proliferating timeless decorative motifs that continue to inspire modern design. A delightful window into 17th-century creativity!
About the Artist
Cherubino Alberti (Zaccaria Mattia)|Polidoro da Caravaggio|Aegidius Sadeler II|Marcus Sadeler · 1553–1615
Cherubino Alberti (1553–1615), also known by his birth name Zaccaria Mattia, was an Italian engraver and painter active in Rome during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Born in Borgo San Sepolcro in Tuscany, he came from an artistically inclined family and received training that equipped him for work in both painting and the reproductive graphic arts. It was as a printmaker, however,...