Jacques de la Faille

Art Historical Context

Created by the renowned Dutch engraver Hendrick Goltzius in 1580, this intimate portrait depicts Jacques de la Faille, a figure likely connected to the merchant circles of the Netherlands during the late Renaissance. At just twenty-two years old, Goltzius was already demonstrating the technical brilliance that would make him one of the most celebrated printmakers of his era. The work belongs to the tradition of Northern European portraiture, where engravings served both as personal mementos and as vehicles for social status. What makes this piece particularly remarkable is its medium: an engraving printed on silk and mounted on ivory paper. While most prints of the period were produced on paper, silk offered a luxurious, luminous surface that enhanced the delicacy of the lines and suggested a special commission or gift. Measuring only 20 by 13 centimeters, the small scale invites close viewing, allowing the fine details of costume and expression to emerge with remarkable clarity. Today housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings department, the work exemplifies how Goltzius elevated engraving from a reproductive craft into an art form capable of capturing both personality and texture with extraordinary precision.

About the Artist

Hendrick Goltzius · 1558–1617

Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) was the most celebrated engraver of the Northern Renaissance and a pivotal figure in Dutch Mannerism. Born near the German-Dutch border, Goltzius transformed printmaking into a virtuoso art form through his revolutionary 'swelling line' technique, where the burin was manipulated to create lines of varying thickness that produced unprecedented tonal effects and three-d...