Soldaat die zijn broek aan zijn kuras bevestigt

About this artwork

height 165 mm x width 123 mm

Art Historical Context

This 1517 engraving by Agostino Veneziano presents a soldier fastening his breeches to his cuirass, capturing a candid moment of preparation amid the rigors of Renaissance military life. Veneziano, an Italian printmaker active in the early sixteenth century and associated with the circle of Marcantonio Raimondi, specialized in reproductive engravings that spread images of contemporary figures and classical themes across Europe. The modest scale—165 by 123 millimeters—made such works portable and affordable, allowing viewers to study armor construction and daily routines up close. The medium of engraving lends itself to crisp, incisive lines that render the metallic sheen of the cuirass and the folds of fabric with remarkable clarity. Created at a time when printed images were transforming how art and information circulated, the print reflects both technical virtuosity and an interest in the human side of martial culture. Its survival in museum collections today offers a vivid glimpse into the material world of the sixteenth-century soldier.

About the Artist

Agostino Veneziano · 1490–1536

Agostino Veneziano, born Agostino de' Musi around 1490 in Venice, received his initial artistic training there, though his primary teacher remains unknown. He began as a pupil of Giulio Campagnola, copying prints by Albrecht Dürer and Campagnola himself from about 1512–14, before producing original works in a similar vein. By around 1515, after brief stints in Florence, he settled in Rome and join...