Phillip II, King of Spain
c. 1600
Medium
Engraving and letterpress, with woodcut borders, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Platemark: 18.6 × 14.5 cm (7 3/8 × 5 3/4 in.); sheet: 30.1 × 17.4 cm (11 7/8 × 6 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268309
Art Historical Context
This striking engraving by Dutch printmaker Christoffel van Sichem I captures Philip II, the powerful Habsburg ruler whose reign shaped the political landscape of late sixteenth-century Europe. Created around 1600, shortly after the king’s death in 1598, the portrait served as both a memorial and a means of circulating the monarch’s image across borders. Van Sichem, working in the tradition of Northern European printmaking, rendered the king with meticulous detail, emphasizing the solemn authority associated with one of the era’s most influential sovereigns. The work combines engraving for th...