January (Ianuarius)
Medium
Etching; first state of two
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.5446
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in the heart of the Dutch Golden Age, *January (Ianuarius)* captures the quiet rhythms of winter life through the collaborative efforts of Jan van de Vel II and Wenceslauslar. This etching, the first of two states, depicts a lively yet frosty scene populated by men, women, and horses amid sturdy buildings, evoking the seasonal labors and social gatherings typical of 17th-century Northern Europe. Van de Velde, renowned for his landscape prints, brought a keen eye for atmospheric detail, while Hollar’s precise linework added depth to the wintry setting. Etching was a favored medium at t...
About the Artist
Jan van de Velde II|Wenceslaus Hollar · 1593–1641
Jan van de Velde II (1593–1641) was one of the most accomplished Dutch printmakers and draughtsmen of the early seventeenth century, born in Haarlem into a dynasty of celebrated calligraphers and artists. His father, Jan van de Velde I, was a renowned writing master, and his cousin Willem van de Velde the Elder would later become a distinguished marine painter. Jan II studied engraving under Jacob...