Title Page for Justus Lipsius, Opera Omnia, I
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
William B. O'Neal Fund
Accession Number
1996.78.17
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 17th-century Flemish Baroque art with this striking title page engraving for *Justus Lipsius, Opera Omnia, I* (1637). Designed by the masterful Sir Peter Paul Rubens and meticulously engraved by Cornelis Galle I, it serves as the grand frontispiece for the complete works of the renowned humanist scholar Justus Lipsius. Rubens, a titan of the Baroque era, infused his compositions with dramatic energy, rich symbolism, and classical grandeur, themes perfectly suited to honor Lipsius' influential Neo-Stoic philosophy. Crafted as an engraving on laid paper—a period s...
About the Artist
Cornelis Galle I after Sir Peter Paul Rubens
Cornelis Galle I, born in 1576 in Antwerp as the younger son of the renowned engraver and publisher Philip Galle, received his foundational training under his father, mastering the meticulous techniques of line engraving in the family workshop. Following this apprenticeship, Galle journeyed to Italy around 1597, residing in Siena, Rome, and Genoa until approximately 1603. There, he studied works b...