Portret van Johannes Stumpf

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

### Portrait of Johannes Stumpf Step into the world of 17th-century Swiss portraiture with *Portret van Johannes Stumpf*, a delicate engraving by Conrad Meyer from 1662. Measuring just 222 mm high by 146 mm wide, this intimate print captures the likeness of Johannes Stumpf (1500–1578), a prominent Swiss historian, chronicler, and reformer best known for his influential *Schweizer Chronik*. Created nearly a century after Stumpf's death, the work reflects the enduring legacy of Renaissance humanism in Protestant Switzerland, where such portraits honored intellectual giants through reproducible art. Conrad Meyer, a skilled Zurich-based engraver active in the mid-1600s, exemplifies the Baroque era's precision in printmaking. Engravings like this were revolutionary for their ability to disseminate detailed images affordably, using a burin to incise fine lines into a copper plate for inked impressions. The technique allowed for intricate shading and texture, making elite portraits accessible to scholars and collectors across Europe. On the verso, a collector's mark stamped with Lugt 2228 underscores its provenance, linking it to esteemed print connoisseurs and institutions. This small yet significant piece invites us to appreciate how engravings preserved cultural memory, bridging Stumpf's historical writings with Meyer's masterful craft.

About the Artist

Conrad Meyer · 1618–1689

Comment on works: Portraits; Figures; Landscapes