Vase with Two Winged Satyrs
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 5/8 x 7 3/8 in. (27 x 18.8 cm) Plate: 7 3/8 x 4 3/8 in. (18.8 x 11.1 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the intricate *Vase with Two Wing Satyrs*, a 17th-century engraving that captures the whimsical spirit of classical mythology. This delicate print depicts an ornate vase adorned with a pair of playful, winged satyrs—half-human, half-goat creatures from Greek lore, symbols of revelry and nature's wild side. Rendered in fine lines on a modest plate measuring just 7 3/8 x 4 3/8 inches, it exemplifies the precision of engraving, a technique where metal plates are incised to hold ink, allowing for detailed reproductions ideal for widespread dissemination. Associated with a stellar roster of...
About the Artist
Claes Jansz. Visscher|René Boyvin|Polidoro da Caravaggio|Rosso Fiorentino|Frederick de Wit · 1586–1652
Claes Jansz. Visscher, also known as Nicolas Joannis Visscher II or Joannis Piscator, was a prominent Dutch Golden Age draughtsman, engraver, mapmaker, and publisher born in Amsterdam in 1587 and died there on June 19, 1652. The son of the printmaker and publisher Jan Claesz. Visscher (c. 1550–1612), he learned the art of etching and printing from his father, helping to expand the family trade int...