Joannes Klainavius Eccl. Neuburg. Superniteno

About this artwork

Mogelijk prent uit: Boissard, Jean-Jacques; Bry, Theodoor de; e.a. Bibliotheca sive thesaurus virtutis et gloriae in quo continentur illustrium eruditione et doctrina virorum effigies et vitae (...). Frankfurt: Guilielmi Fitzeri, 1628.

Art Historical Context

This engraving by Robert Boissard, created between 1597 and 1599, portrays Joannes Klainavius, identified as a church official from Neuburg. Measuring just 143 by 105 millimeters, the small-scale print reflects the intimate format typical of portrait series meant for personal study or binding into books. Boissard, active in the late sixteenth century, specialized in such detailed copper engravings that captured the likenesses of scholars, clergy, and humanists with remarkable precision. The work likely originates from the ambitious *Bibliotheca sive thesaurus virtutis et gloriae*, a multi-volume compilation of biographies and portraits published in Frankfurt in 1628 by Theodor de Bry and associates. These volumes celebrated “illustrious men of learning,” presenting their effigies alongside Latin texts that underscored their moral and intellectual virtues. Engravings like this one played a vital role in an era before photography, allowing readers across Europe to visually connect with distant figures of influence. Boissard’s technique—fine lines and subtle shading—conveys both dignity and immediacy, transforming a simple portrait into a lasting tribute within the Renaissance culture of commemoration. Today, such prints offer valuable insight into how knowledge and reputation were circulated through art and print in the early modern period.

About the Artist

Robert Boissard · 1586–1691

Robert Boissard (c. 1570–after 1630) was a French engraver and draughtsman whose work exemplifies the transition from late Renaissance to early Baroque printmaking in France. Born around 1570 in Valence, Boissard belonged to an artistic family and was a relative of the distinguished scholar and artist Jean-Jacques Boissard (1528–1602), whose monumental biographical and archaeological publications ...