Plate 22: Venus ordering Psyche to Sosort a heap of grain, from the 'Fable of Psyche'
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 6 1/2 x 8 7/8 in. (16.5 x 22.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.1022
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the enchanting world of Renaissance mythology with *Plate 22: Venus Psyche to Sort a of Grain*, from the *The Fable of Psyche*. This captures a pivotal moment from ancient Roman tale in Apuleius' *The Golden Ass*, where the jealous goddess Venus tasks the mortal Psyche with the impossible feat of sorting a massive pile of mixed grains before nightfall. Created between 1530 and 1560, it reflects the era's fascination with classical stories, brought to life through intricate printmaking to make grand narratives accessible to a wider audience. Engraved by the anonymous *Master of the D...
About the Artist
Master of the Die|Antonio Salamanca · 1525–1560
**Master of the Die** (fl. 1525–1560) was an anonymous Italian engraver and printmaker active primarily in Rome during the mid-16th century. Named for the distinctive small die he used to sign his prints—a tiny emblematic mark that became his moniker—this elusive artist remains unidentified despite scholarly proposals linking him to figures like Benedetto Verino, Giovanni Francesco Zabello, Tommas...