Isabella d'Este
c. 1655/1660
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Fund
Accession Number
1975.70.7
Art Historical Context
**Isabella d'Este**, a captivating engraving by Dutch artist Pieter Holsteyn II after original by the Italian Mannerist master Giulio Romano, dates to around 1655–1660. This print laid paper captures the poised elegance of Isabella d'E (1474–1539), the Marchioness of Mant and a pivotal figure in the Renaissance. As a renowned patron of the arts, diplomat, and collector, Isabella cultural life in early 16th-century Italy, commissioning works from artists like Titian and Leonardo da Vinci. Giulio Romano, who served the Gonzaga court in Mantua—linked to Isabella's family—likely created her likene...
About the Artist
Pieter Holsteyn II, after Giulio Romano
Pieter Holsteyn II (c. 1614–1673) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, engraver, and stained-glass artist born and primarily active in Haarlem. The eldest son of Pieter Holsteyn I, a prominent Haarlem stained-glass painter, engraver, and tapestry designer from Schleswig, he grew up in a Catholic artistic family that included his younger brother, Cornelis Holsteyn, also a painter. Holsteyn II studied un...