Arithmetica, from The Seven Liberal Arts
ca. 1570–1600
Medium
Engraving and etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 5 13/16 × 4 3/16 in. (14.7 × 10.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.95.1500
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Arithmetica, The Seven Liberal Arts" a captivating engraving and etching created around 1570–1600 by Flemish artist Maerten de Vos, who designed the composition, and engraver Johann Sadeler I This small print (just 5 13/16 × 4 3/16 inches) personifies Arithmetic—one of the seven liberal arts of the medieval trivium and quadrivium—as a poised female figure engaged in writing and calculation. De Vos, a leading Antwerp Mannerist known for his elegant, intricate figures and moral allegories, drew from Renaissance humanism's revival of classical education, where these arts symbolized intellectual ...