Two Lovers with Pan, from "Ex Antiquis Cameorum et Gemmae Delineata/ Liber Secundus/et ab Enea Vico Parmen Incis"

Art Historical Context

This engraving, titled *Two Lovers with Pan*, comes from a seventeenth-century publication reproducing ancient cameos and gems. Created after designs by Enea Vico and others, it forms part of *Ex Antiquis Cameorum et Gemmae Delineata*, a volume that documented classical carved stones for scholars and collectors across Europe. The scene captures an intimate moment between nude figures accompanied by Pan, the goat-legged god of the wild, blending sensuality with mythological symbolism popular in Renaissance and Baroque interpretations of antiquity. As an engraving in its third state, the work highlights the precision of the medium, which allowed artists to translate the subtle relief and textures of gemstones into fine lines on paper. Published around 1599–1622 by contributors including Francesco Angeloni and Philippe Thomassin, such prints played a vital role in circulating knowledge of ancient art at a time when original cameos were prized by elite cabinets of curiosities. The small scale—roughly three by five inches—makes the piece both intimate and portable, inviting viewers to appreciate how classical motifs of love and nature continued to inspire artists centuries later.

About the Artist

Enea Vico|Francesco Angeloni|Battista Franco|Philippe Thomassin|Anonymous, Italian, 16th century · 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...