Andromeda
1601
Medium
Engraving on cream laid paper
Dimensions
25.5 × 17.5 cm (10 1/16 × 6 15/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
40
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This engraving by Jan Saenredam after a drawing by Hendrick Goltzius envisions the story of Andromeda as a traditional Renaissance nude. The beautifully bare princess Andromeda has been chained to a bone-strewn rock as food for a ravening sea beast, when Perseus swoops in on Pegasus to do battle with the creature and save the damsel in distress. Andromeda’s nudity is accentuated by her flowing locks, blown dramatically by the wind and waves; she is a comely tidbit for monster or man. Saenredam’s...
About the Artist
Jan Saenredam · 1565–1607
Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam (c. 1565–1607) emerged from humble beginnings in the Dutch village of Assendelft, where he was orphaned young and raised by his uncle, the local bailiff Pieter de Jongh. Initially destined for basket weaving or farm work, Saenredam's precocious talent for embellishing texts with intricate designs caught attention, leading to an apprenticeship in cartography. By 1589, at a...