Title page depicting a two-handled base with dancing nymphs, from Antique Vases (Vasa a Polidoro Caravagino)

Art Historical Context

This enchanting etching and engraving, titled *Title page depicting a twoled base with dancing nymph* from the series *Antique Vases (Vasa a Polidoro Caravagino)*, captures the Renaissance obsession with classical antiquity. Created 1605 as a collaborative effort by engravers Cherubino Alberti ( designs attributed to Zaccaria Mattia and Polidoro da Carav) and the Sadeler brothers—Aegid II and Marcus—it serves as the ornate title for a collection of ancient vase motifs. Measuring 10 11/16 × 7 1/16 inches, this second state of three (per Bartsch) exemplifies the meticulous printmaking techniques of the era, blending etching's fluid lines with engraving's precision for intricate details. Printed during the height of Mannerist ornament fascination, the work showcases frolicking nymphs adorning a two-handled vase base, drawing from Greco-Roman artifacts to inspire architects, goldsmiths, and decorators. Polidoro da Caravaggio, a pioneering facade artist, influenced such grotesque and architectural fantasies, while the Sadelers' expertise elevated reproductive prints into collectible art. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Elisha Whittelsey Collection), it reflects how 17th-century Europeans revived ancient forms to fuel the decorative arts revolution, bridging mythology and design in a single, lively sheet.

About the Artist

Cherubino Alberti (Zaccaria Mattia)|Polidoro da Caravaggio|Aegidius Sadeler II|Marcus Sadeler · 1553–1615

Cherubino Alberti (1553–1615), also known by his birth name Zaccaria Mattia, was an Italian engraver and painter active in Rome during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Born in Borgo San Sepolcro in Tuscany, he came from an artistically inclined family and received training that equipped him for work in both painting and the reproductive graphic arts. It was as a printmaker, however,...