Gerechtigheid van Trajanus

About this artwork

Kopie in spiegelbeeld naar een prent van Hans Sebald Beham op een groter formaat. De zoon van een weduwe is gedood door een soldaat van keizer Trajanus. Knielend bij het dode lichaam van haar zoon wijst ze de keizer op dit onrecht.

Art Historical Context

Step into the dramatic world of *Gerechtigheid van Trajanus* (Justice of Trajanus), a poignant 1622 engraving by an anonymous artist, measuring just 113mm by 96mm. This intimate print reverses and miniaturizes a larger work by the Renaissance master Hans Sebald Beham, of the "Little Masters" famed for their exquisite small-scale engravings. Created through the meticulous technique of incising lines into a metal plate and inking it for transfer to paper, the medium captures fine details with remarkable precision, making it ideal for dissemination as a moral tale. The scene depicts a timeless legend from ancient Rome: a grieving widow kneels beside her son's lifeless body, slain by one of Emperor Trajan's soldiers. With outstretched arm, she boldly appeals to the emperor for justice, embodying ideals of fairness and imperial virtue. Trajan (r. 98–117 CE) was celebrated in medieval and Renaissance lore for his equity—here, he reportedly orders the soldier's execution to right the wrong. Such stories, popularized in Christian texts like the *Golden Legend*, served as exemplars of just rule during an era of political upheaval. This anonymous copy reflects the enduring cultural reverence for classical virtues in 17th-century Europe, where engravings like this educated and inspired viewers on ethics and piety. Though modest in size, its emotional intensity and technical finesse make it a gem for contemplating justice across centuries.

About the Artist

anonymous

In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...