Portret van Urbanus VIII
1632
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
219; 152
About this artwork
verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 240
Art Historical Context
**Portrait of Urban VIII** Claude Mellan’s *Portret van Urbanus VIII* (1632) is a masterful engraving capturing Pope Urban VIII, born Maffeo Barberini who reigned from 1623 to 1644 during the Baroque era’s cultural zenith. This intimate portrait, measuring just 219 mm high by 152 mm wide, Mellan’s extraordinary skill as a French engraver renowned for his precise line work and innovative techniques. Urban VIII, a poet and patron of the arts supported figures like Bernini and Caravaggio, making his likeness a symbol of papal authority and Renaissance humanism’s lingering influence. Engravings...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan · 1598–1688
Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...