New Inventions of Modern Times [Nova Reperta], The Invention of Eyeglasses, plate 15
![New Inventions of Modern Times [Nova Reperta], The Invention of Eyeglasses, plate 15 by Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus|Jan Collaert I|Philips Galle](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.artheonmuseum.org%2Fmet%2Fdp%2Fthumb%2Fnew-inventions-of-modern-times-nova-reperta-the-659672.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 10 5/8 x 7 7/8 in. (27 x 20 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.95.870(6)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the inventive spirit of the Renaissance with *The Invention of Eyeglasses plate 15 from Jan van der Straet's *Nova Reperta* (New Inventions of Modern Times), circa 1600. Flemish artist Stradanus (Jan van der Straet), in Italy, designed this lively scene, which was masterfully engraved by Philips Galle and Jan Colla I. Part of a celebrated series of 45 prints, *Nova Reperta* the era's technological marvels—from the printing press to the compasscapturing the excitement of progress in a bustling, detailed composition featuring markets, buildings, men, women, and children. This plate vi...
About the Artist
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus|Jan Collaert I|Philips Galle · 1523–1605
Jan van der Straet, known as Stradanus or Giovanni Stradano, was born in Bruges in 1523 into an artistic family. He received his earliest training in his father Jan van der Straet's painting workshop until the latter's death in 1535, followed by an apprenticeship with Bruges master Maximiliaen Francken from 1535 to 1537. Stradanus then moved to Antwerp, studying under Pieter Aertsen from 1537 to 1...