Gad, from The Twelve Sons of Jacob
c. 1589
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 16 × 11.3 cm (6 5/16 × 4 1/2 in.); sheet: 16.8 × 12 cm (6 5/8 × 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268215
Art Historical Context
Jacques de Gheyn II's *Gad, from The Twelve Sons of Jacob*c. 1589) is a exquisite engraving capturing one of the biblical patriarchs from Genesis, who founded the tribe of Gad. Produced during the artist's early career in Antwerp, this print belongs to a rare series depicting all twelve sons of Jacob, religious narrative with the refined of Northern Mannerism.yn (1565–1629), a master draftsman and engraver trained in the innovative workshops of the Plantin-Moretus Press, drew inspiration from earlier Italian influences while pioneering a Dutch precision in linework that would influence later a...
About the Artist
Jacques de Gheyn, II · 1565–1629
Jacques de Gheyn II (1565–1629) was born in Antwerp into an artistic family, receiving his earliest instruction from his father, Jacob de Gheyn I, a skilled glass painter, engraver, and draftsman. In 1585, the young de Gheyn moved to Haarlem, where he spent five formative years studying under Hendrik Goltzius, one of the most celebrated engravers of the Northern Renaissance. This apprenticeship pr...