Serie portretten van vijftiende- en zestiende-eeuwse geleerden

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

**Serie portretten van vijftiende- zestiende-eeuw geleerden** (Series of Portraits ofteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Scholars) is a captivating engraving by French artist Robert Boissard, created between 1597 and1599. Measuring a modest 140 mm high by 102 mm wide, this print belongs to a series honoring prominent scholars of the Renaissance era—think humanists, philosophers, and whose ideas shaped modern thought. Boissard renowned for his meticulous portrait engravings, captured their likenesses with striking detail, preserving their legacies for posterity. Engravings like this were revolutionary in the late 16th century, allowing affordable reproduction and wide distribution across Europe. As part of the printmaking boom during the Northern Renaissance, Boissard's technique—using a burin to incise fine lines into a copper plate—produced rich tonal contrasts and lifelike expressions, making scholarly icons accessible beyond elite circles. This series reflects the era's humanist fervor, celebrating knowledge amid religious and scientific upheavals. On the verso, a collector's mark (Lugt 2228) stamps its provenance, hinting at its cherished history among connoisseurs. For visitors, it offers a window into how art immortalized the minds driving Europe's intellectual awakening.

About the Artist

Robert Boissard · 1586–1691

Robert Boissard (c. 1570–after 1630) was a French engraver and draughtsman whose work exemplifies the transition from late Renaissance to early Baroque printmaking in France. Born around 1570 in Valence, Boissard belonged to an artistic family and was a relative of the distinguished scholar and artist Jean-Jacques Boissard (1528–1602), whose monumental biographical and archaeological publications ...