Isabella d'Este

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 likeness in his distinctive Mannerist style, marked by elongated forms and dramatic expression. Holsteyn's engraving faithfully reproduces this image, showcasing the precision of 17th-century printmaking techniques. Engravings like this, incised into copper plates and printed on laid paper (notable for its textured chain lines), democratized access to elite portraits, spreading Renaissance icons across Europe. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Print department through the Andrew W. Mellon Fund, this work bridges centuries, highlighting how reproductive prints preserved and popularized the legacies of powerful women like Isabella, often called the "First Lady of the World."

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...