1596
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Jupiter Presiding Over the Liberal Arts is a 1596 ink by Jan Pietersz Saenredam, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a big, shirtless man standing tall in the center. Around him, smaller figures sit or crouch, some holding books or tools. One man points upward, another looks at a book, and a child plays nearby. The scene feels busy but orderly, with tiny buildings and a tree in the background. The big man likely stands for Jupiter, the Roman king of gods, judging over the arts. The small figures represent different skills like music, writing, and science. The artist used fine lines to create shadows and depth. Next, check out how engraving works to see how this image was made.
Jan Pieterszoon (abbr. Pietersz.) Saenredam (c. 1565 – 6 April 1607) was a Dutch Northern Mannerist painter, printmaker in engraving, and cartographer, and father of the painter of church interiors, Pieter Jansz…
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
![The Farnese Hercules, front view [plate 2]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/cedb2cb031c3391b/thumb.webp)
