Woman with Shield Seated on Seamonster, from "Ex Antiquis Cameorum et Gemmae Delineata/ Liber Secundus/et ab Enea Vico Parmen Incis" 1599 - 1622

This engraving presents a woman with a shield seated on a seamonster, and comes from a book of prints after antique cameos and gems. It was made in 16th-century Italy by an anonymous artist. In Renaissance Italy, there was a renewed interest in classical antiquity. The formal qualities of ancient art were greatly admired, and were studied for their visual vocabulary. But these works were also valued as documents of a lost civilization, which artists and patrons hoped to emulate. This print belongs to a tradition of preserving and disseminating knowledge of ancient art and history. How were these engravings received at the time? What was their role in the artistic and intellectual life of the Renaissance? These are the questions that the art historian asks. By studying the material culture of the period, the books and prints that were collected and circulated, we can better understand the place of art in society.