Self-Portrait (from "Image de divers hommes: The true effigies of the most eminent Painters," 1649)

Art Historical Context

This self-portrait by Wenceslaus Hollar appears in the 1649 publication *Image de divers hommes: The true effigies of the most eminent Painters*, a of engraved likenesses of leading artists. Hollar, a skilled Bohemian etcher who worked extensively in Antwerp and London, created this print as both a personal introduction and a tribute to profession. The image captures the artist at work, reflecting the 17th-century interest in documenting creative figures for an educated audience across Europe. Executed in etching—a medium prized for its ability to render fine lines and textures—this print exists in the third of five states, showing the careful revisions typical of reproductive printmaking. Hollar’s precise technique highlights his reputation for meticulous detail, qualities that made his work highly sought after by collectors and publishers of the period. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, the sheet measures just over six inches tall, underscoring the intimate scale of such portrait series. It offers today’s viewers a direct glimpse into how artists presented themselves within the vibrant artistic networks of the Baroque era.

About the Artist

Johannes Meyssens|Wenceslaus Hollar|Wenceslaus Hollar · 1612–1670

Joannes Meyssens (1612–1670), also known as Johannes, Jan, or Jean Meyssens, was a Flemish Baroque painter, engraver, and print publisher whose career exemplifies the multifaceted nature of seventeenth-century artistic enterprise. Born in Brussels on May 17, 1612, and active primarily in Antwerp where he died on September 18, 1670, Meyssens made his most significant contribution not through his pa...