Maria Magdalena in de wolken

About this artwork

Maria Magdalena staand op de wolken. Kopie in spiegelbeeld, afgesneden.

Art Historical Context

Jan Harmensz. Muller (c. 1571–1628) was a leading Dutch engraver based in Haarlem, known for his refined reproductive prints after designs by artists such as Hendrick Goltzius and Bartholomeus Spranger. Created during the late Mannerist period, this small engraving of Mary Magdalene standing on clouds exemplifies the era’s taste for elegant, elongated figures and ethereal religious imagery. The compact format—only 117 by 73 millimetres—made such prints affordable devotional objects that could be kept in prayer books or pasted onto walls. The work is described as a mirror-image copy, indicating it reproduces an earlier composition in reverse, a common practice among engravers who translated paintings or drawings into printable form. Despite being trimmed, the surviving image still conveys the saint’s heavenly elevation, a motif that underscored her role as a penitent visionary. Engravings like this played a vital cultural role by spreading Counter-Reformation themes across Northern Europe, allowing viewers far from major art centres to encounter sophisticated religious iconography in their own homes.

About the Artist

Jan Harmensz. Muller · 1571–1628

Comment on works: Printer and Draughtsman