Beached Whale
1598
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 1/16 × 16 3/4 in. (30.6 × 42.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.6056
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, engraver Jacob Matham captured dramatic moment of nature's spectacle in *Beached Whale* (1598), a detailed engraving now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints. 12 1/16 × 16 3/4 inches, this print exemplifies the Northern Renaissance mastery of intaglio techniques, where intricate lines etched into a metal plate allowed for rich tonal contrasts and precise rendering—perfect for disseminating images of rare events across Europe. The scene depicts men and horses gathered on a beach around a massive stranded whale, evoking the wonde...
About the Artist
Jacob Matham · 1571–1631
**Jacob Matham: Master Engraver of Haarlem** Jacob Matham was born on October 15, 1571, in Haarlem, in the Northern Netherlands, into a burgeoning artistic milieu. Following his father's early death, his mother married the renowned painter and engraver Hendrick Goltzius in 1579, who adopted the young Jacob and trained him rigorously in the workshop as his stepson and pupil. Matham's first signed ...