Areopagite Judges of Athens, plate 8 from Thrones of Justice (Thronus Iustitiae)
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 29.6 × 37.9 cm (11 11/16 × 14 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268607
Art Historical Context
This engraving by Willem van Swanenburgh, titled *Areopagite Judges of Athens*, forms plate 8 in the 1605 series *Thrones of Justice* (*Thronus Iustitiae*). Created on ivory laid paper, the print measures nearly 30 by 38 centimeters and belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings collection. As part of a larger cycle exploring themes of law and authority, the work depicts the ancient Athenian council known as the Areopagus, whose judges symbolized impartial justice in classical tradition. Engravings like this one played a vital role in early seventeenth-century Europe by cir...