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Old Woman with a Distaff

Enea Vico

1545

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

Old Woman with a Distaff is a 1545 ink by Enea Vico, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Enea Vico
When & what style?: 1545 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This engraving shows an older woman standing in a dim room, holding a long wooden tool called a distaff in one hand and a spindle in the other. She’s dressed in loose, flowing robes, her head covered by a hood. Behind her, a window with shutters lets in a little light, and a shelf above holds a plate and a small object. The artist used fine lines and shading to show the folds in her clothes and the texture of the wood. This kind of detail was tricky to do in engravings back then. Want to see more? Look up engraving to learn how artists like this carved images into metal.

About the artist

Artist

Enea Vico

Enea Vico (29 January 1523 – 18 August 1567) was an Italian engraver. Vico was born in Parma. He specialized in grotesque engravings based on antique paintings. Vico made engravings for Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke…

See the richer artist page