Fool Holding a Staff (Tis om te lachen)
Jan Saenredam
c. 1595
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet, trimmed within plate mark: 17.3 × 25 cm (6 13/16 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
prints and drawing
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
261875
About the Artist
Jan Saenredam · 1565–1607
Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam (c. 1565–1607) emerged from humble beginnings in the Dutch village of Assendelft, where he was orphaned young and raised by his uncle, the local bailiff Pieter de Jongh. Initially destined for basket weaving or farm work, Saenredam's precocious talent for embellishing texts with intricate designs caught attention, leading to an apprenticeship in cartography. By 1589, at a...