The Journey to Constantinople
published 1553
Medium
woodcut (10 blocks, 17 sheets? joined together)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1964.8.462
Art Historical Context
Pieter Coecke van Aelst’s monumental woodcut *The Journey to Constantinople*, published in 1553, stands as a remarkable example of Renaissance printmaking. Created from ten separate blocks and assembled from seventeen sheets, the work forms an expansive panoramic scene. As a Flemish artist renowned for his designs in tapestry and print, Coecke van Aelst brought a keen eye for detail and procession to this ambitious project, transforming the woodcut medium into a sweeping visual narrative. The technical achievement of joining multiple blocks into one cohesive image highlights the growing sophi...
About the Artist
Pieter Coecke van Aelst
Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550) was a leading Flemish artist of the Renaissance, renowned for his multifaceted talents as a painter, sculptor, architect, and designer of tapestries, stained glass, woodcuts, and metalwork. Born in Aalst, in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium), he likely studied under Bernaert van Orley, a prominent Antwerp painter, before becoming a master in the city...