1600
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Allegory of the Marriage of Emperor Ferdinand II and Eleanor Gonzaga is a 1600 ink by Aegidius Sadeler II, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image is a busy black-and-white engraving. In the center, two men in fancy clothes and big hats stand on either side of a rocky pedestal. One holds a scroll, the other points upward. Around them, small figures—some winged, some on clouds—float or climb. Below, a woman in a ruffled collar looks up at the man on the left, while a bearded man with a crown sits slumped. Animals and plants fill the bottom corners. The Latin words and the mix of human and mythical figures suggest this is about power or a big event. The tiny details, like the winged baby and the cloud shapes, show the artist’s skill with tiny lines. Look up engraving to see how artists like this made prints with sharp metal tools.
Aegidius Sadeler or Aegidius Sadeler II (1570–1629) was a Flemish engraver who was principally active at the Prague court of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and his successors.
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