VICO, Enea

(b. 1523 Parma, d. 1567 Ferrara)

Italian engraver. He trained in Parma and by 1541 was in Rome, where he became a pupil of Tommaso Barlacchi (fl 1527-42). In 1541-42, in collaboration with Barlacchi, he produced his first work, a series of 24 engravings with grotesque decorations in imitation of antique paintings. In Rome, Vico was also influenced by the printmakers Agostino dei Musi, Antonio Salamanca and, above all, Marcantonio Raimondi. Vasari recorded that in 1546, following a short period in Florence, where he made engravings for Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici after works by Michelangelo, Vico applied to live in Venice. He remained there until 1563, when he was summoned to the court of Alfonso II d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, where he lived until his death.

Aristotle

From the sixteenth century onward, the physical type of Aristotle was widely known from Italian busts, reliefs, and medallions of the early 1500s, and from prints such as Enea Vico’s engraving of 1546. Rembrandt had a bust of Aristotle which was a cast after an Italian sculpture, and he used this type in his famous painting Aristotle with a Bust of Homer.

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Conversion of St Paul

This large horizontal print, made from two copper plates and printed on two large sheets of paper, was made after Salviati. It was first published in 1545 and dedicated to Duke Cosimo de’ Medici. Through this print Salviati attempted to spread his style to a wider public (and potential patrons), as well as to other artists. It features a host of figures charging in different directions away from the stricken and blinded saint in the lower centre.

This print constitute a major example of the use of printmaking to advertise an artist’s talents and to codify particular ideas.

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Portrait of Anton Francesco Doni

Anton Francesco Doni (1513-1574) was an Italian writer, editor and translator.

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