Rudolph II on Horseback
c. 1600
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 50.2 × 38.9 cm (19 13/16 × 15 3/8 in.); sheet: 51.1 × 39.3 cm (20 1/8 × 15 1/2 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
264872
Art Historical Context
Behold the majestic *Rudolph II on Horse*, an exquisite engraving by Aegidius Sadeler, created around 1600. Sadeler, a prolific Flemish engraver active in Prague, served as court artist to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, the ruler's image in this dynamic equestrian portrait. Measuring nearly 20 by 15 inches on its plate, the work's grand scale underscores its role as a statement of imperial power and patronage. Rudolf II (1552–1612), an avid collector of art and curiosities, transformed Prague into a Renaissance hub of Mannerist creativity. This engraving celebrates his reign amid the empire's ...
About the Artist
Aegidius Sadeler, II · 1570–1629
Aegidius Sadeler II was born in Antwerp around 1570 into the most distinguished printmaking dynasty of the sixteenth century. The Sadeler family — spanning Jan I, Raphael, and Aegidius I — dominated the European print trade from their Flemish base, and Aegidius II was trained by his uncle Jan Sadeler I, under whom he was listed as a pupil in the records of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1585. He...