Portret van Agostino Chigi

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

This engraving, created by Jean Frosne between 1658 and 1676, presents a portrait of Agostino Chigi, the influential Sienese banker and art patron of the early sixteenth century. Measuring just 206 by 133 millimeters, the work exemplifies the intimate scale often favored for prints intended for personal collections or illustrated volumes. Engraving, a meticulous intaglio technique involving incised metal plates, allowed artists to achieve fine detail and produce multiple impressions, making such portraits widely accessible long after the subject’s lifetime. Although Chigi himself belonged to the High Renaissance era, this later print reflects the seventeenth-century interest in commemorating earlier cultural figures. Frosne’s work likely served both documentary and celebratory purposes, preserving Chigi’s image for new generations of collectors and scholars. The presence of the Lugt 2228 collector’s mark further underscores the piece’s journey through notable print collections, highlighting how engravings often functioned as portable records of history and taste. Today, the portrait offers viewers a tangible connection to both Chigi’s legacy and the enduring appeal of reproductive printmaking in European art.

About the Artist

Jean Frosne · 1630–1700

Jean Frosne (circa 1614–after 1682) was a French engraver whose career spanned much of the 17th century, producing portraits, landscapes, and ornamental prints during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. Born around 1614 (originally named Jean Froonens, son of a Flemish tapestry maker from the Gobelins), Frosne emerged from humble origins to become an accomplished engraver whose works documente...