Apollo Presiding over the Arts of Government, from Seven Planetary Gods
1596
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 25.1 × 14.7 cm (9 15/16 × 5 13/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268249
Art Historical Context
Jan Saenredam 1596 engraving * Presiding over the of Government* belongs to his series *Seven Planetary Gods*. Created on ivory laid paper measuring roughly 25 by 15 centimeters, the print exemplifies the refined technique of Dutch engraving at the close of the sixteenth century. Saenredam, working in the Northern Mannerist tradition, translated allegorical designs into crisp lines that could be widely circulated. In Renaissance thought, Apollo—linked to the sun—symbolized rational order and artistic inspiration. Here he oversees the “arts of government,” reminding viewers that wise rule requ...
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...