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Magdalena van de Passe

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

Description

Maker

Magdalena van de Passe (Dutch, ca. 1600-1638)
After Maarten de Vos (Flemish, 1532-1603)

Title

The Lighthouse of Alexandria
from the series "Seven Wonders of the World"

Year

1614

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink

Supports

Dimensions

Plate/Image: 21 x 25.6 cm (8 1/4 x 10 1/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Printed, on image, UR: Pharos; PRinted, on sheet, LC: Magdalena Pabaea sculpsit vltr. Printed, on sheet, LL to LR: Cursibus extruxit... ora subirent; Printed, on sheet, LR: Crisp Pass excudit.

Identification

State

only state

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Mary B. Jackson Fund

Object Number

2006.7.5

Type

Projects & Publications

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

Exhibition History

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

Label copy

Magdalena van de Passe, one of the few female names in Early Modern engraving, came from a family of engravers and built an independent reputation as a reproductive engraver. Her style combines many of the lessons of previous engravers both north and south. The swelling line recalls Hendrick Goltzius, but Magdalena reintroduced contours around her figures, relying less on Goltzius’s formulas and heroic proportions. From fine manner engravers, she incorporated extensive dot-work. This combination may have also come from Italian sources, particularly Agostino Carracci, whose works appear on the next wall.

These are two of seven prints in the series illustrating the Seven Wonders of the World; the other plates in the series were completed by her brothers and father.

Related Objects

Related Objects

More objects +

Related Publications

Related 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.

Use & Feedback

Image use

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

Tombstone

Magdalena van de Passe (Dutch, ca. 1600-1638)
After Maarten de Vos (Flemish, 1532-1603)
The Lighthouse of Alexandria; from the series "Seven Wonders of the World", 1614
Engraving on laid paper
Plate/Image: 21 x 25.6 cm (8 1/4 x 10 1/16 inches)
Mary B. Jackson Fund 2006.7.5

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