Marriage for Wealth, from Three Kinds of Marriages
c. 1595
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
23.4 × 15.9 cm (9 1/4 × 6 5/16 in.)
Classification
prints and drawing
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
269801
Art Historical Context
Jan Saenredam, a masterful Dutch engraver active in Haarlem during the late th century, created *Marriage for Wealth* around 1595 as part of his series *Three Kinds Marriages*. This engraving wryly critiques societal unions driven by money rather than affection, reflecting the moral and themes popular in Northern European prints of the era. Saenredam's precise, intricate line work—characteristic of the Northern Mannerist style—captures expressive figures and symbolic details, such as ostentatious attire and coin-filled purses, to underscore the folly of mercenary matrimony. Rendered in black ...
About the Artist
Jan Saenredam · 1565–1607
Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam (c. 1565–1607) emerged from humble beginnings in the Dutch village of Assendelft, where he was orphaned young and raised by his uncle, the local bailiff Pieter de Jongh. Initially destined for basket weaving or farm work, Saenredam's precocious talent for embellishing texts with intricate designs caught attention, leading to an apprenticeship in cartography. By 1589, at a...