A Woman Collecting Blood from a Sheep, from "Ex Antiquis Cameorum et Gemmae Delineata/ Liber Secundus/et ab Enea Vico Parmen Incis"
Medium
Engraving; third state
Dimensions
plate: 3 7/16 x 4 7/8 in. (8.8 x 12.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.97.420
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intriguing engraving, published between 1599 and 2, reproduces an ancient cameo or gem design as part of the volume *Ex Antiquis Came et Gemmae Deline*. Created in collaboration by Enea Vico, Battista Franco, and others, it belongs to a series that brought classical antiquities to wider Renaissance audience through print. The small plate captures a striking scene of a woman collecting blood from a sheep, surrounded by figures, weapons, and musical instruments—elements likely drawn from the original gem’s composition. Such images often alluded to ancient sacrificial rituals or mythologica...
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|