The victory of Scipio over Syphax
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 7 11/16 x 9 7/16 in. (19.5 x 24 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.16-151
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Victory of Scipio over Syax*, a dynamic 16th-century engraving capturing a pivotal moment from the Second Punic War (218–201 BCE). Roman general Publius Cornelius Sc Africanus triumphed over the Numidian king Syax, a key ally of Carthage's Hannibal, securing Roman dominance in North Africa. Created between 1530 and 1560 by the Master of the Die—likely an anonymous Italian engraver working in Rome—and associated with publisher Philippe Thomassin, this print revives ancient history through Renaissance eyes, blending classical heroism with contemporary martial fervor. Engraving, the ...
About the Artist
Master of the Die|Philippe Thomassin · 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...