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Hieronymus Wierix

Portrait of Catherine-Henriette de Balzac Dentraigues, Marquise of Verneuil

Maker

Hieronymus Wierix (Flemish, ca. 1553-1619)
Harmen Adolfz. (Dutch), publisher

Title

Portrait of Catherine-Henriette de Balzac Dentraigues, Marquise of Verneuil

Year

1600

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

engraving

Supports

Dimensions

Plate/Image: 35.2 x 25.1 cm (13 7/8 x 9 7/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Verso:in pencil, UL:Nº16-; in UC:A7In Plate--In LL:Hieronymus/Wierx sculp./in Septembri/Anno 1600.; in LR:Avec priuil:du Roy./Harman Adolfz/excudebat./Haerlemensis.; 4-line French inscriptio

Marks: Watermark:Crown over shield with fleur de lis over initials WR

Identification

State

5th of 5

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Purchase, by exchange

Object Number

50.039

Type

Publications

  • Books

The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650

Renaissance engravings are objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy that are composed entirely of lines. Artists began using this intaglio process in Europe as early as 1430. This captivating catalogue focuses on the height of the medium, from 1480 to 1650, when engravers made dramatic and rapid visual changes to engraving technique as they responded to the demands of reproducing artworks in other media. The Brilliant Line follows these visual transformations and offers new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque (Early Modern) engravers. The three essays discuss how engraving’s restrictive materials and the physical process of engraving informed its visual language; the context for the spread of particular engraving styles throughout Europe; and the interests, knowledge, and skills that Renaissance viewers applied when viewing and comparing engravings by style or school.

Exhibition History

The Brilliant Line
Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650
Sep 18, 2009 – Jan 03, 2010

Label copy

Hieronymus Wierix’s fine manner of engraving and its unique characteristics are best understood when looking at his portraits. Here, Wierix relied on the white of the sheet to produce highlighted areas. His sitter has features formed from a decorative application of flicks and dots. If the engraved line itself is less substantial than those engravings that came before or after, Wierix’s description of texture and naturalistic detail, especially from a distance, achieves a subtlety rarely duplicated. Contemporary collectors recognized the fine manner’s refinement as well as its delicacy, and often requested that particular subjects be executed in this “sweet” style.

The Duchess of Verneuil was the second mistress of King Henry IV of France and bore him two children. The verses compare her beauty and grace to that of the gods.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Hieronymus Wierix (Flemish, ca. 1553-1619)
Harmen Adolfz. (Dutch), publisher
Portrait of Catherine-Henriette de Balzac Dentraigues, Marquise of Verneuil, 1600
Engraving on light weight cream laid paper
Plate/Image: 35.2 x 25.1 cm (13 7/8 x 9 7/8 inches)
Museum Purchase, by exchange 50.039

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