Portrait of Bartholomeus Spranger with an Allegory on the Death of his Wife, Christina Muller
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1955-15-6
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This poignant print, *Portrait of Bartholomeusanger with an Allegory the Death of his Wife Christina Muller*, was created in 1600 by Flemish engraver Aegidiuseler II (1570–1629). Sadeler, part of a renowned family of printmakers active across Europe, excelled in reproductive engravings that captured the elegance of Mannerist art. Here, he immortalizes Spranger, a leading Flemish Mannerist painter and court artist to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II in, alongside a symbolic tribute to his late wife. The artwork blends portraiture with allegory, a popular Northern European convention in the late Re...