The Christian Soldier
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
29.7 × 35.8 cm (11 3/4 × 14 1/8 in.)
Classification
prints and drawing
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
272396
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Created in 1614 by Dutch artist Pieter Serwouters, *The Christian Soldier* is a fine example of early seventeenth-century engraving. Rendered in black ink on cream laid paper, the print measures nearly twelve by fourteen inches, allowing for intricate detail that would have been widely appreciated in the Dutch Republic. As a print rather than a painting, it belonged to a flourishing medium that made art accessible beyond elite collectors, circulating moral and religious ideas across Protestant Europe. The title evokes the biblical metaphor of spiritual warfare, most likely drawn from Ephesian...