The Four Philosophers: Justus Lipsius, Hugo Grotius, Peter Paul Rubens, and Philip Rubens
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 15 13/16 × 11 3/4 in. (40.2 × 29.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.7574
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching and engraving from 1770–82 presents a compelling group portrait of four influential figures from the early 17th century: the scholar Justus Lipsius, the jurist and philosopher Hugo Grotius, and the brothers Peter Paul Rubens and Philip Rubens. The composition, based on an earlier design by Peter Paul Rubens, brings together leading minds in humanism, law, and art, reflecting the vibrant intellectual networks of the Baroque period in Flanders and beyond. Rendered through the meticulous techniques of etching and engraving, the print captures fine details in the men’s expressions, a...
About the Artist
Hugo Grotius|Peter Paul Rubens|Philip Rubens|Justus Lipsius|Ferdinando Gregori|Giuseppe Vanni|Peter Paul Rubens (Dutch|Flemish|Flemish|Netherlandish|Italian|Italian|Flemish) · 1583 |1577 |1574 |1547 |1743 |1720 |1577 –1645 |1640 |1611 |1606 |1804 |1820 |1640
Dutch, 1583–1645|Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp|Flemish, Siegen 1574–1611|Netherlands, Overijse 1547–1606 Louvain, Brabant|Italian, 1743(?)–1804|Italian, active Florence, 1770–82|Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp