View of the Church "Quattro Santi Coronati"
1551 to 1600
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1973.32.43
Art Historical Context
Herman van Swanevelt *View of the Church "attro Santi Coronati"* a captivating glimpse into 17th-century European fascination with Roman antiquity. Created as an etching between 155 and 1600, this print depicts the historic Basilica dei Santi Quattro Coronati, medieval church perched on Rome's Celian Hill. Swanevelt, a Dutch active during the Golden Age, was renowned for his Italianate landscapes, blending meticulous detail with atmospheric depth after his time studying in Italy. Etching, the medium here, revolutionized printmaking by allowing artists to draw fluid lines directly onto a metal...
About the Artist
Herman van Swanevelt · 1603–1655
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a leading Dutch Baroque painter, draughtsman, and etcher, celebrated for his luminous Italianate landscapes that bridged the classical ideals of Rome with the emerging naturalism of the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Woerden, near Utrecht, to a family of artisans whose lineage traced back to the renowned Lucas van Leyden, Swanevelt's early life and training remain s...