Portrait of Theophrastus Paracelsus
Medium
Engraving; first state of two (Hollstein)
Dimensions
Plate: 12 1/16 × 8 11/16 in. (30.7 × 22 cm) Sheet: 13 7/16 × 9 13/16 in. (34.2 × 24.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.7.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking engraving, *Portrait of Theophrast Paracelsus*, the likeness of the renowned 16th-century Swiss physician, alchemist, philosopher Philippus Aureolus Theophus Bombastus von Hheim—better known as Paracels. Created between 1615 and 1643, it reflects the posthumous fascination with his revolutionary ideas on medicine and natural philosophy during the Baroque era. Attributed to a collaborative effort involving eminent Flemish artists Pieter van Sompel, Pieter Soutman, and Peter Paul Rubens, the print likely draws from Rubens' dynamic style, known for its dramatic realism and vitality,...