Predestination 1540 - 1555

Enea Vico created this small engraving, titled "Predestination," in the mid-16th century, a period marked by religious and political upheaval in Europe. The print depicts a farmer in the act of tilling the soil, while a figure garbed in a classical toga places a crown upon his head. In the background, another figure gestures theatrically, seemingly in response to a bird carrying a frog. At a glance, the print appears to show how one's destiny is determined. However, this work reflects the social anxieties of its time, specifically anxieties about social mobility. The artist challenges the era's rigid social hierarchies. We see the overturning of expectations, hinting at the possibility of transformation even within the seemingly immutable social structure of the 16th century. Vico asks us to consider: what does it mean when the natural order is upended and the lowest can be elevated above the highest?