Two Terms, a Nymph at left Silvanus at right 1525 - 1535

Giulio Bonasone made this engraving called 'Two Terms, a Nymph at left, Silvanus at right' at an unknown date. Bonasone worked in Italy during the rise of printmaking, when artists discovered the power of reproducible images to circulate ideas. Here we see a pair of classical figures, the female Nymph, and the male woodland spirit Sylvanus, rendered as 'terms'. These are human busts that emerge from pedestals, referencing ancient sculptures found during the Italian Renaissance. They invite us to contemplate the relationship between nature and culture. Consider the visual codes. The image draws on classical mythology to reflect on the role of the humanist artist in shaping and refining the natural world. The nymph, a symbol of untamed beauty, is placed next to Sylvanus, who represents the wildness of the forest. Art history uses sources such as ancient texts and archaeological records to help us understand the meaning that Bonasone's contemporaries might have found in it. We can see how institutions like the print shop created new opportunities for artists to comment on social and artistic values.