Hercules Slaying Envy

About this artwork

Peter Paul Rubens, like Rembrandt van Rijn, realized printmaking’s enormous potential. Rubens was more concerned with disseminating his style and reproducing his painted compositions than with creating original subjects in print. While several artists engraved Rubens’s paintings, only one, Christoffel Jegher, cut the nine surviving woodcuts based on his work. Both Jegher’s and Rubens’s names appear, with the privilege (an early form of copyright), at the lower right of the dramatic Hercules Slay...

Art Historical Context

Behold *Hercules Slayingvy*, a striking woodcut by Flemish printmaker Christoffel Je, created around 1633/34. Measuring an impressive 60.2 × 36.2 cm on luxurious ivory paper, this large-scale print captures a dramatic mythological moment from classical lore. Jegher, active in Antwerp during the Baroque era, was renowned for his masterful woodcuts, often translating the dynamic compositions of Peter Paul Rubens into print form. This work likely draws from Rubens' allegorical vision, where the heroic Hercules triumphs over the personified vice of Envy, symbolizing virtue's victory amid human frailties. Woodcuts like this one were a pinnacle of 17th-century printmaking technique, carved in relief on wood blocks and printed with exceptional detail and tonal depth. Jegher's skill shines in the intricate line work and bold contrasts, evoking the emotional intensity of Baroque art. Printed on ivory paper, the image gains a subtle warmth and richness, enhancing its visual impact for collectors and connoisseurs of the time. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this piece exemplifies the cultural prestige of Flemish engraving during the Dutch Golden Age's heyday. It invites visitors to ponder timeless themes of heroism and moral struggle, bridging ancient myth with 17th-century artistry.

About the Artist

Christoffel Jegher · 1596–1652

Christoffel Jegher (1596–1652) was a Flemish Baroque engraver and woodcut artist active in Antwerp. He became a master in the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1628 and established himself as a skilled printmaker specializing in wood engravings. Jegher collaborated closely with the leading Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, producing woodcuts after the master’s designs. This partnership proved formati...