3/8

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

"3/8" is an intriguing etching by Symon Novel, a printmaker active in the late 16th century (ca. 1560–1590). Measuring 219 mm high by 183 mm wide, this modest-sized work exemplifies the rising popularity of etching during the Northern Renaissance, a time when the Netherlands was a hub of artistic innovation amid religious upheaval and the Dutch Revolt. Novelanus, likely working in the Low Countries, contributed to the era's explosion of printmaking, which democratized art by allowing affordable multiples of intricate designs. Etching's technique—scratching acid-resistant lines into a metal pl...