Child Birth, from The Course of Human Life
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 1/16 in. × 12 in. (23 × 30.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.3424
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Child Birth, from *The Course of Human Life*" is a captivating 1570 engraving by Flemish artist Jan van der Stra, known as Stradanus, contributions from engraver Pieter Jalhea Furn and publisher Hieronymus Cock. Measuring 9 1/16 × 12 inches, this print belongs to a series exploring the stages of human existence, reflecting the Renaissance fascination with life's progression. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, exemplifies the collaborative printmaking workshops of Antwerp, where Cock's Aux Quatre Vents house produced innovative reproductive engravings to...
About the Artist
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus|Pieter Jalhea Furnius|Hieronymus Cock · 1523–1605
Jan van der Straet, known as Stradanus or Giovanni Stradano, was born in Bruges in 1523 into an artistic family. He received his earliest training in his father Jan van der Straet's painting workshop until the latter's death in 1535, followed by an apprenticeship with Bruges master Maximiliaen Francken from 1535 to 1537. Stradanus then moved to Antwerp, studying under Pieter Aertsen from 1537 to 1...