Title Page to History of the Warres of the Emperour Justinian

Art Historical Context

Step into the intricate world of 17th-century printmaking with Thomas Cross's *Title Page to History of Warres of the Emper Justinian*, an engraving published in 1653. Cross, a skilled English engraver known for his detailed book illustrations, crafted this 26.3 × 17.2 cm sheet as a grand introduction to a historical text recounting the military campaigns of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565 CE). Justinian's wars, chronicled by the ancient historian Procopius sought to reclaim lost Roman territories, blending triumph with the era's brutal realities. Engraving, a precise intaglio technique where lines are incised into a metal plate and inked for transfer to paper, allowed Cross to achieve fine lines and rich tonal contrasts ideal for ornamental title pages. These often featured allegorical figures, armor-clad warriors, or imperial motifs to evoke the book's epic scope, making scholarly works visually captivating during England's turbulent Commonwealth period. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection, this print exemplifies how 17th-century artists bridged antiquity and modernity, turning historical narratives into accessible art. A testament to enduring fascination with Justinian's legacy—from legal codes to conquests—it invites us to ponder the power of images in preserving history.

About the Artist

Thomas Cross · 1602–1704

Thomas Cross was an English engraver active in the seventeenth century, primarily known for his work in the London print trade during a period of lively commercial and artistic demand for illustrated books, maps, portraits, and broadsides. Though his precise dates of birth and death are not firmly recorded, documentary evidence places his activity in the second half of the seventeenth century, a t...