VICO, Enea

by Enea Vico

£3,250 · Offered by Sokol Books

.The first edition of Natale Conti s (1520-1582) Latin translation of Vico s 1557 Le imagini delle donne avgvste, dedicated by the author (1523-67) to cardinal Otto Truchsess von Waldburg .(1543-73). .Vico was an Italian engraver from Parma, who specialised in grotesque engravings based on antique paintings.. .Here he breaks away to use coins as his source material, depicting the key female figures of the Roman imperial court, spanning the Julio-Claudian and Flavian dynasties, from the late 1.st. C BC until 96AD. Each portrait comprises a roundel, set in an elaborate classical architectural scene, bearing the side profile of each woman, accompanied by her title. Their hair is dressed in the contemporary fashion, following authentic Roman numismatic material, though the engravings are elevated to a higher degree of detail, as seen in the ornate plaits, thanks to the greater precision allowed by the medium as compared to coinage. A few roundels are blank, likely due to the lack of numismatic source material, including Cossutia, the first wife of Caesar, Servilia, the first wife of Augustus, and the daughters of Agrippa and Drusus, both named Julia. In addition to the portraits, there are also some engravings of other coins which were minted during their lifetime. Agrippina the Younger s apparition on the obverse of two coins, together with her son Nero, is particularly striking.. . ..Each engraving is accompanied by a corresponding biography, both executed by Vico. The biograph

• Binding: Hardcover

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