The Battle of the Amazons
1543
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
20.9 × 28 cm (8 1/4 × 11 1/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
131388
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Renaissance Italian printmaker Enea Vico specialized in ancient history scenes, illustrations of medals, and classically inspired decorations. This shield-like engraving captures the fervor of battle waged by the mythical race of Amazons, warrior women who lived in a male-free society and cut off their left breasts as a sign of bravery. Enea Vico did not demonstrate this anatomical peculiarity, but neither did the ancient Greek sculptures he likely consulted to create the work.
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...