Portrait of Hadriaan Beverland Drawing a Sculpture of the Callipygian Venus

Art Historical Context

This striking mezzotint from 1686 captures the Dutch scholar Hadriaan Beverland in the act of sketching the celebrated ancient sculpture known as the Venus Callipyga, or “Venus of the beautiful buttocks.” Created through a collaboration involving Simon Du Bois and printmaker Isaac Beckett, the portrait places Beverland before the marble figure, with obelisks and classical motifs framing the scene. The work reflects the era’s fascination with Greco-Roman antiquity and the human form, themes central to Beverland’s own controversial writings on classical literature and sexuality. Mezzotint, a relatively new technique at the time, allowed artists to achieve rich, velvety tones and subtle gradations of light and shadow that perfectly suited both portraiture and the rendering of sculptural surfaces. Here, the medium lends a soft luminosity to the figure of Venus while emphasizing the scholarly intensity of Beverland at work. As a second state of three, this impression reveals the artists’ careful refinements to the plate. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016, the print offers visitors a vivid glimpse into 17th-century antiquarian culture and the enduring dialogue between contemporary creators and ancient ideals of beauty.

About the Artist

Hadriaan Beverland|Simon Du Bois|Isaac Beckett (Dutch|Flemish|British) · 1650 |1632 |1652 –1716 |1708 |1719

Dutch, Middleburg 1650–1716 London|Flemish, baptized Antwerp 1632–1708 London (active England)|British, Kent 1652/53–1719 London