Portret van keizer Ferdinand II
1628
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
206; 146
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Art Historical Context
This engraving by Lucas Kilian captures Emperor Ferdinand II, the Habsburg ruler who guided the Holy Roman Empire through the early years of the Thirty Years’ War. Created in 1628, the portrait shows the emperor in formal regalia, his image carefully rendered to convey authority and piety at a moment when political and religious tensions gripped Europe. Kilian, an accomplished Augsburg printmaker, specialized in such official likenesses, using the engraving technique to translate painted originals into precise, reproducible works on paper. Measuring just 206 by 146 millimeters, the print was ...
About the Artist
Lucas Kilian
Lucas Kilian (1579–1637) was one of the most celebrated engravers of early 17th-century Germany and the most prominent member of the Kilian dynasty of printmakers in Augsburg. Born in Augsburg in 1579, Lucas Kilian achieved international recognition for his technically virtuosic engravings and became a leading figure in the transition from late Renaissance to early Baroque printmaking styles. His ...