Inigo Jones (from Inigo Jones's "The most notable Antiquity of Great Britain vulgarly called Stone-heng on Salisbury Plain," 1655)

Art Historical Context

This etching portrays Inigo Jones, the influential English architect and stage designer, and serves as the frontispiece to the 1655 posthumous edition of his treatise on Stonehenge. Jones, who died in 1652, had examined the ancient monument under royal commission and argued—controversially for his time—that it was a Roman temple rather than a prehistoric site. The print thus commemorates both the man and his scholarly legacy at a moment when antiquarian interest in Britain’s past was growing. The image combines the work of three figures: Anthony van Dyck, whose painted or drawn portrait likely supplied the likeness; Wenceslaus Hollar, the skilled Bohemian etcher who translated it into print; and Jones himself, whose book it adorned. Executed in the first state of two, the etching demonstrates the fine linear detail and tonal subtlety that made the medium ideal for reproducing portraits in seventeenth-century publications. Its modest size and crisp line work reflect the practical needs of book illustration while preserving the dignified, classical bearing associated with van Dyck’s courtly style. Today in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, the print offers visitors a tangible link between Renaissance portraiture, architectural theory, and the early study of Britain’s ancient monuments.

About the Artist

Anthony van Dyck|Wenceslaus Hollar|Inigo Jones · 1599–1641

Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who revolutionized portrait painting and became the most influential court painter in 17th-century England. Born in Antwerp as the seventh of twelve children to a prosperous silk merchant, van Dyck displayed extraordinary artistic talent from childhood. He trained under Hendrick van Balen before joining Peter Paul Rubens's workshop as a...