St Augustine, from The Fathers of the Church
1600
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 29.4 × 21.8 cm (11 5/8 × 8 5/8 in.); sheet: 33.9 × 23 cm (13 3/8 × 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268282
Art Historical Context
In the early 17th century, Dutch engraver Jacob Matham *St. Augustine, from The Fathers of the Church*, striking print from a series honoring the influential early Christian theologians. Dated 1600, this engraving captures the revered saint—known for his profound writings on faith, grace, and original sin—in a dignified pose, emblematic of Counter-Reformation reverence for Church Fathers like Augustine of Hippo (354–430 CE). Matham, a master printmaker trained under Hendrick Goltzius, blended Northern Mannerist elegance with intricate detail, making religious figures accessible through afforda...
About the Artist
Jacob Matham · 1571–1631
**Jacob Matham: Master Engraver of Haarlem** Jacob Matham was born on October 15, 1571, in Haarlem, in the Northern Netherlands, into a burgeoning artistic milieu. Following his father's early death, his mother married the renowned painter and engraver Hendrick Goltzius in 1579, who adopted the young Jacob and trained him rigorously in the workshop as his stepson and pupil. Matham's first signed ...