Icones Prophetarum Veteris Testamenti
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 6 7/8 x 4 15/16 in. (17.5 x 12.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.600.71
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, where you'll find *Icones Prophetarum Veter Testamenti* (Icons of the Prophets of the Testament), an exquisite engraving by Jan van der Straet, known asadanus (1523–1605). This work, measuring a compact 6 7/8 x 4 15/16 inches, captures the artist's flair for depicting biblical figures from the Old Testament, likely as part of a devotional series that brought sacred narratives to a wider audience. Stradan, a Flemish Mannerist who thrived in Renaissance Florence under the Medici patronage, mastered engravings that blend...
About the Artist
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus · 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...