Quos Ego

Entry

The present plaquette centres on the theme of Quos Ego, adopted from a scene in Virgil’s Aeneid when Neptune calms the rough seas on command. The relief’s attribution to the Netherlandish sculptor Willem van Tetrode (c. 1525-1580), who originated from Delft but spent much of his career in Italy, is based on a print with a highly comparable scene from 1587 by Jacob de Gheyn II (1565-1629), which cites Van Tetrode as the inventor (fig. a).¹ The most significant difference in the engraving is the frontal presentation of Neptune and the hippocampi; whereas in the sculpture they are seen from the side. Also missing is the naked youth floating in the water directly below the sea god. Notably, the centre of both versions is determined by a radiating circle of waves, with a multitude of sea creatures arranged along the outer edge. One may therefore conclude that the print was probably engraved after another plaquette, i.e. a variant of Van Tetrode’s own making used to ascertain the optimal realization of the desired scene.

Van Tetrode’s Neptune is a powerful figure modelled in a highly energetic pose, raising his right hand with the trident above his head and stilling the tempest seas with the other. He is encircled by four hippocampi. The central scene is ringed by waves that reach to the outer edge, where a multitude of tritons, sea-nymphs and putti appear. The plaquette’s composition betrays Van Tetrode’s familiarity with Florentine sculpture and goldsmith’s works. Around 1550, sculptors such as Salviati and Du Cerceau were making comparable designs in Florence and Paris.² In modelling and pose, the naked youth at Neptune’s feet recalls the work of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571), whom Van Tetrode assisted in the years circa 1542-1552, thus indicating that the sculptor modelled the relief during his Italian period. The present lead cast of Quos Ego lacks the sharpness that characterises the earliest versions, supporting a likely manufacture at least several decades after the sculptor’s death. Also pointing to a relatively late cast is the guilloche border, a detail most likely added for the scene’s adaptation to the bottom of a tazza. This is also suggested by the relief’s slightly concave form. The assertion that the original model was conceived in connection with a tazza for Salentin von Isenburg, Elector of Cologne, one of Willem van Tetrode’s most important patrons in Cologne, proves entirely unfounded: the object in question is in fact a nineteenth-century bronze, cast after a non-extant (silver?) version from the sixteenth or early seventeenth century.³

The many adaptations and versions of Quos Ego indicate that Van Tetrode’s model enjoyed a fairly wide dissemination and a reasonable degree of popularity since the late sixteenth century. Besides versions in bronze and lead,⁴ variants of the plaquette also survive in ivory⁵ and even earthenware, with reproductions dating as late as the nineteenth century.⁶ A platter from the onset of the seventeenth century, originating from Saintonge, features the Quos Ego-scene in its centre (private collection New York).

A drawn variant of Van Tetrode’s representation appears in a detailed design for a silver platter or shield, with the middle section showing Neptune riding his chariot pulled by his hippocampi. Encircling the scene are creatures also found in De Gheyn’s engraving. One major difference between the design drawing and the print is the abrupt separation of the inner and outer fields, achieved by means of an ornamental band filled with a variety of sea creatures, versus a gradual transition. Unlike the print, the drawing also features hovering angels in the clouds and trophies lining the outer edge as in the present model. Even if not an autograph work, the drawing’s overall similarity to Van Tetrode’s present model as well as the one reflected in the print, implies a probable connection to one of his alternative designs. Its reverse moreover bears the inscription Guilelmas Telrho inven. ano. 1587 ca., accompanied by a second inscription written in another hand: Für dieses Schild bezahlte ich an Kaiser /?/13 (‘For this Shield I paid the Emperor /?/13’). This suggests the work represented in the drawing was made for a member of the Habsburg court, possibly Emperor Rudolph II (1552-1612) in Prague.⁷

Lastly, a lead plaquette preserved at the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp must also be mentioned.⁸ Although stylistically and conceptually highly similar to Van Tetrode’s Quos Ego composition, the scene’s central figure instead features Venus Marina seated on dolphin. Interestingly, the relief’s dimensions are virtually the same as the Amsterdam Quos Ego plaquette. Moreover, the figures also corroborate the sculptor’s style, with the influence of Cellini evident in the corporeal forms and faces. Conceivably, the Venus Marina plaquette may also have been derived from one of Van Tetrode’s inventions, possibly as a pendant to accompany the Neptune representation.

For De Gheyn, the making of an engraving after Van Tetrode’s invention was likely an early test of his artistic proficiency.⁹ Undoubtedly, the complex scene of nude, interweaving bodies provided an ideal model to challenge the young engraver’s budding talent.

Frits Scholten, 2025