1596
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Mercury Presiding Over the Visual and Rhetoric Arts is a 1596 ink by Jan Pietersz Saenredam, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a shirtless man standing tall on a pedestal, holding a staff and a purse. Around him, three people in fancy clothes are busy—one holds a scroll, another a book, and the third looks like they’re sketching. In the background, a city skyline and tiny figures add depth. The standing figure is Mercury, the Roman messenger god, overseeing the arts. The Latin text at the bottom hints at his role in guiding creativity. Next, check out the technique: engraving.
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 page
