Plate One, from Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins

Art Historical Context

Jan Saenredam’s 1606 engraving *Plate One, from Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins* brings to life a well-known biblical parable from the Gospel of Matthew. Created during the Dutch Golden Age, the print captures the moment when ten young women await a bridegroom, five prepared with oil for their lamps and five unprepared. Saenredam, a skilled Dutch printmaker, translated this moral lesson into a finely detailed composition that would have resonated with viewers familiar with Protestant teachings on vigilance and faith. As an engraving on paper, the work exemplifies the reproductive power of printmaking in the early seventeenth century. The medium allowed intricate line work and subtle shading to circulate widely, making religious narratives accessible beyond church walls or elite collections. Measuring just over ten by fourteen inches, the sheet’s modest scale suited both private devotion and study. Today housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings department, this plate opens a larger series that contrasts wisdom and folly. Its crisp technique and moral clarity continue to invite viewers to reflect on themes of readiness and spiritual foresight that remain timeless.

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...