Vanity, Vanity, All is Vanity
c. 1600
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 37.5 × 32.1 cm (14 13/16 × 12 11/16 in.); Plate: 37.8 × 32.4 cm (14 15/16 × 12 13/16 in.); Sheet: 38.4 × 33.5 cm (15 1/8 × 13 1/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
188955
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This depiction of a sexually provocative woman as the embodiment of vanity is one of the earliest collabora-tions between the designer Abraham Bloemaert and the printmaker Jan Saenredam. A virtuoso display of Mannerist printmaking, it features elegant calligraphy (probably by another hand), billowing smoke, and luxurious fabrics.
About the Artist
Jan Saenredam · 1565–1607
Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam (c. 1565–1607) emerged from humble beginnings in the Dutch village of Assendelft, where he was orphaned young and raised by his uncle, the local bailiff Pieter de Jongh. Initially destined for basket weaving or farm work, Saenredam's precocious talent for embellishing texts with intricate designs caught attention, leading to an apprenticeship in cartography. By 1589, at a...