2/50
1587 - 1595
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
115; 171
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Portret van Jacopo Sadoleto, bisschop van Carpentras, secretaris van Paus Leo X. Buste naar links. De prent heeft een Latijns onderschrift en maakt deel uit van een serie van beroemde geleerden.
Art Historical Context
Behold *2/50*, a finely detailed engraving by the renowned Flemish artist Philips Galle, created between 1587 and 1595. This bust portrait depicts Jacopo Sadoleto, the esteemed Italian bishop of Carpentras and secretary to Pope Leo X gazing thoughtfully to the left. Measuring 171mm high by 115mm wide, the print captures Sadoleto's scholarly with remarkable precision, accompanied by a Latin inscription that his intellectual legacy. Galle, a master engraver from Antwerp's golden age of printmaking, produced this as part of a prestigious series honoring famous scholars—likely one of his *Icones* collections, which celebrated humanist luminaries amid the Renaissance's thirst for knowledge. Sadoleto (1477–1547), a key figure in the Catholic Reformation, bridged classical learning and Church reform, making him an ideal subject for such a tribute. These engravings democratized portraiture, allowing widespread dissemination of cultural heroes through books and collections. Engraving's technique—incising lines into a metal plate for inked impressions—enabled Galle's intricate textures, from the subtle folds of Sadoleto's robes to his expressive face. In an era before photography, such prints preserved and propagated the visages of history's thinkers, blending artistry with education for patrons across Europe. A gem of Northern Renaissance print culture!
About the Artist
Philips Galle · 1537–1612
Philips Galle (1537–1612) was a leading Netherlandish engraver, designer, and print publisher whose career bridged the vibrant artistic scenes of Haarlem and Antwerp. Born in Haarlem, he studied under the humanist engraver Dirck Volkertsz. Coornhert, honing his skills in reproductive printmaking. Early on, Galle produced engravings after the Haarlem master Maarten van Heemskerck, capturing the Man...