The Triumph of Time
Medium
Engraving; first state of four
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 3/8 x 11 15/16 in. (21.2 x 30.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.94.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Triumph of Time* (1574), a masterful engraving by Philips Galle after a design by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department. This first-state impression—measuring 8 3/8 x 11 15/16 inches—captures Bruegel's intricate vision through Galle's precise engraving technique, where a metal plate is incised to transfer fine lines onto paper. Produced in the Flemish Renaissance, it reflects the era's fascination with allegory amid religious strife in the Spanish Netherlands. The composition bursts with fantastical energy: skeletons ha...
About the Artist
Philips Galle|Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Philips Galle · 1537–1612
Philips Galle (1537–1612) was a leading Netherlandish engraver, designer, and print publisher whose career bridged the vibrant artistic scenes of Haarlem and Antwerp. Born in Haarlem, he studied under the humanist engraver Dirck Volkertsz. Coornhert, honing his skills in reproductive printmaking. Early on, Galle produced engravings after the Haarlem master Maarten van Heemskerck, capturing the Man...