Edward I of England
1551 to 1600
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
plate: 17.1 × 11.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/8 in.) sheet: 24.3 × 17.4 cm (9 9/16 × 6 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.14.376
Art Historical Context
This engraving by Renold Elstrack portrays Edward I of England, the medieval king who reigned from 1272 to 7 and was known for military campaigns and legal. Created between 1551 and 1600, long after the monarch’s death, the print reflects the Tudor era’s growing fascination with national history and royal lineage. Elstrack, working in the tradition of early English printmakers, used engraving to produce a dignified, formal likeness that helped bring historical figures to life for contemporary viewers. As a print medium, engraving allowed such images to circulate widely beyond court circles, m...
About the Artist
Renold Elstrack
Renold Elstracke (c. 1570–after 1625), one of England's earliest native-born engravers, emerged as a pivotal figure in the late Elizabethan and Jacobean art world. Born to Josephe Elstrage, a migrant from "Lukeland" in the province of Liège (modern-day Belgium) who settled in England in 1551, Elstracke likely honed his craft under the tutelage of Crispin van de Passe the elder in Cologne before ar...