The Practitioners of the Visual Arts
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 16 7/8 x 11 1/4 in. (42.8 x 28.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.509
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling artistic circles of late 16th-century Florence Flemish-born Jan van der Straet known as Stradanus designed *The Practitioners of the Arts* in 1578,fully engraved by the Dutch printmaker Cornelis Cort. intricate engraving, measuring 16 7/8 x 11 1/4 inches, captures the vibrant world of Renaissance studios, blending Northern precision with Italian Mannerist flair. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it exemplifies how engravings democratized complex imagery, allowing ideas to spread across Europe far beyond the Medici court's elite patrons. ...
About the Artist
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus|Cornelis Cort · 1523–1605
Jan van der Straet, known as Stradanus or Giovanni Stradano, was born in Bruges in 1523 into an artistic family. He received his earliest training in his father Jan van der Straet's painting workshop until the latter's death in 1535, followed by an apprenticeship with Bruges master Maximiliaen Francken from 1535 to 1537. Stradanus then moved to Antwerp, studying under Pieter Aertsen from 1537 to 1...