Aegidius Sadeler
Encyclopedia
The Sadeler family were the largest, and probably the most successful of the dynasties of Flemish
engravers that were dominant in Northern European printmaking
in the later 16th and 17th centuries, as both artists and publishers. As with other dynasties such as the Wierixes
and Van de Passe family
, the style of family members is very similar, and their work often hard to tell apart in the absence of a signature or date, or evidence of location. Altogether at least ten Sadelers worked as engravers, in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Bohemia
and Austria.
Much of their best work was high quality reproductive prints of contemporary artists such as Bartholomeus Spranger
(Aegidius II) or the Venetian Bassano family
(Jan I and Rafael I), that were important in spreading the reputation and style of these artists.
The Sadelers were descended from "chasers," engravers of armour
, from Aalst
. Jan de Saeyelleer or Sadeleer had three sons, all usually called "Sadeler": Jan I (1550 Brussels
- 1600 Brussels or possibly Venice), Aegidius I (c. 1555 Brussels - c. 1609 Frankfurt am Main) and Rafael I (1560/61 Antwerp - 1628 or 1632). Another Sadeler, Marcus or Marco, was a printer and perhaps publisher who was working in Haarlem
in c. 1586-87, and is presumed to be a member of the family, though it is not known where he fits in.
Jan I was the father of Justus (ca. 1572 Antwerp - c. 1620) and Marcus Christoph (b. Munich
, active 1614 to after 1650). Aegidius I was the father of Aegidius II (c. 1570 Antwerp - 1629 Prague
). Rafael I was the father of Rafael II (1584 - 1627 or 1632, both Antwerp), Jan II (c. 1588 - 1665 or later) and Filips (c. 1600, active to 1650).
Aegidius II was the father of Tobias, who was active from 1670-75 in Vienna
.
, and married in Antwerp Cathedral. By 1569 or 1570 he was doing work for the publisher Christopher Plantin. His younger brother Rafael I joined him there, and they continued to work closely together, moving to Cologne
in about 1579, but continuing to visit Antwerp. The disruptions of the Dutch Revolt
scattered all the Antwerp artists across Northern Europe, and after the siege of Antwerp in 1585 Jan and Rafael worked in several German cities - Mainz
, Frankfurt-am-main, Munich without settling for long, before they went to Italy in 1593, where Jan may have died. They first went, accompanied by their nephew Aegidius II, to Verona
, then Venice
from 1596/7, where they had a shop. In 1604 Rafael returned to Munich, where he remained for most of the rest of his life, of which the last record comes in 1622. Jan's son Marcus, or Marco, remained in Italy as a publisher and artist, though there may be confusion between his work and that of his presumed relation the older Marcus.
Three of their best-known prints after the Bassani are known as the "Sadeler kitchen scenes". They show respectively Christ in the house of Mary and Martha, at Emmaus
, and Dives and Lazarus.
(1593), then back to Munich with his uncles Jan and Rafael in 1594, travelling with them to Verona, and probably Venice (1595-97). After a trip (apparently alone) to Naples
he moved to Prague in 1597, where spent the rest of his life, mostly employed by Emperor Rudolf II. He lived for some time in the house of Bartholomeus Spranger
, whose works he engraved. As the more important figure, references to just Aegidius Sadeler are more likely to mean him than his father.
He sold prints from a stall in the Vladistlav Hall in Prague Castle
, shown in a well-known engraving of his (1607), and his prints after Spranger, Roelant Savery
and other Prague artists were important in disseminating the style of Rudolfine Mannerism across Europe, especially Germany and the Netherlands. He also painted, although no works certainly by him survive.
His early works were mostly religious prints after Northern painters, several in sets. In Italy he added Northern painters working in Italy, such as Paul Bril and Denys Calvaert, as well as Italian masters both some generations older (Titian
, Raphael
, Parmigianino
, and contemporary (Tintoretto
, Barocci). In Prague he engraved the Mannerists of Rudolf's court, but also did many portraits of notables, and engraved many of the Dürer drawings in the Imperial collection.. He collaborated with Jacobus Typotius
on the Prague emblem
book, Symbola Divina et Humana.
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
engravers that were dominant in Northern European printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
in the later 16th and 17th centuries, as both artists and publishers. As with other dynasties such as the Wierixes
Wierix family
The Wierix family were a Flemish dynasty of printmakers in engraving in the 16th and early 17th centuries, active in Antwerp and Brussels....
and Van de Passe family
Van de Passe family
Crispijn van de Passe the Elder, or de Passe was a Dutch publisher and engraver and founder of a dynasty of engravers comparable to the Wierix family and the Sadelers, though mostly at a more mundane commercial level...
, the style of family members is very similar, and their work often hard to tell apart in the absence of a signature or date, or evidence of location. Altogether at least ten Sadelers worked as engravers, in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Austria.
Much of their best work was high quality reproductive prints of contemporary artists such as Bartholomeus Spranger
Bartholomeus Spranger
Bartholomeus Spranger was a Flemish Northern Mannerist painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He was born in Antwerp in the Habsburg Netherlands .-Biography:...
(Aegidius II) or the Venetian Bassano family
Jacopo Bassano
Jacopo Bassano , known also as Jacopo dal Ponte, was an Italian painter who was born and died in Bassano del Grappa near Venice, from which he adopted the name.- Life :...
(Jan I and Rafael I), that were important in spreading the reputation and style of these artists.
The family
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
, from Aalst
Aalst, Belgium
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
. Jan de Saeyelleer or Sadeleer had three sons, all usually called "Sadeler": Jan I (1550 Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- 1600 Brussels or possibly Venice), Aegidius I (c. 1555 Brussels - c. 1609 Frankfurt am Main) and Rafael I (1560/61 Antwerp - 1628 or 1632). Another Sadeler, Marcus or Marco, was a printer and perhaps publisher who was working in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
in c. 1586-87, and is presumed to be a member of the family, though it is not known where he fits in.
Jan I was the father of Justus (ca. 1572 Antwerp - c. 1620) and Marcus Christoph (b. Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, active 1614 to after 1650). Aegidius I was the father of Aegidius II (c. 1570 Antwerp - 1629 Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
). Rafael I was the father of Rafael II (1584 - 1627 or 1632, both Antwerp), Jan II (c. 1588 - 1665 or later) and Filips (c. 1600, active to 1650).
Aegidius II was the father of Tobias, who was active from 1670-75 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Jan Sadeler I and Rafael I
Jan was in Antwerp by 1572; it was then the centre of the printmaking world, with hugely productive workshops producing work for publishers with excellent distribution arrangements throughout Europe. In that year he became a master of the artists' Guild of Saint LukeGuild of Saint Luke
The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was identified by John of Damascus as having painted the...
, and married in Antwerp Cathedral. By 1569 or 1570 he was doing work for the publisher Christopher Plantin. His younger brother Rafael I joined him there, and they continued to work closely together, moving to Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in about 1579, but continuing to visit Antwerp. The disruptions of the Dutch Revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
scattered all the Antwerp artists across Northern Europe, and after the siege of Antwerp in 1585 Jan and Rafael worked in several German cities - Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, Frankfurt-am-main, Munich without settling for long, before they went to Italy in 1593, where Jan may have died. They first went, accompanied by their nephew Aegidius II, to Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, then Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
from 1596/7, where they had a shop. In 1604 Rafael returned to Munich, where he remained for most of the rest of his life, of which the last record comes in 1622. Jan's son Marcus, or Marco, remained in Italy as a publisher and artist, though there may be confusion between his work and that of his presumed relation the older Marcus.
Emmaus
Emmaus was an ancient town located approximately northwest of present day Jerusalem...
, and Dives and Lazarus.
Aegidius Sadeler II
Aegidius Sadeler (sometimes written Egidius, or Gilles) was also a painter, and a leading Northern Mannerist engraver; the best of the dynasty. After moving to Cologne in childhood (c. 1579), then Munich (c. 1588), he trained in Antwerp, and went to Italy, working in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(1593), then back to Munich with his uncles Jan and Rafael in 1594, travelling with them to Verona, and probably Venice (1595-97). After a trip (apparently alone) to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
he moved to Prague in 1597, where spent the rest of his life, mostly employed by Emperor Rudolf II. He lived for some time in the house of Bartholomeus Spranger
Bartholomeus Spranger
Bartholomeus Spranger was a Flemish Northern Mannerist painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He was born in Antwerp in the Habsburg Netherlands .-Biography:...
, whose works he engraved. As the more important figure, references to just Aegidius Sadeler are more likely to mean him than his father.
He sold prints from a stall in the Vladistlav Hall in Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
, shown in a well-known engraving of his (1607), and his prints after Spranger, Roelant Savery
Roelant Savery
Roelant Savery , was a Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter.-Life:Savery was born in Kortrijk...
and other Prague artists were important in disseminating the style of Rudolfine Mannerism across Europe, especially Germany and the Netherlands. He also painted, although no works certainly by him survive.
His early works were mostly religious prints after Northern painters, several in sets. In Italy he added Northern painters working in Italy, such as Paul Bril and Denys Calvaert, as well as Italian masters both some generations older (Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
, Parmigianino
Parmigianino
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola , also known as Francesco Mazzola or more commonly as Parmigianino or sometimes "Parmigiano", was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma...
, and contemporary (Tintoretto
Tintoretto
Tintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
, Barocci). In Prague he engraved the Mannerists of Rudolf's court, but also did many portraits of notables, and engraved many of the Dürer drawings in the Imperial collection.. He collaborated with Jacobus Typotius
Jacobus Typotius
Jacobus Typotius was a Flemish humanist, a native of Diest in Brabant, who became court historian to the Emperor Rudolph II. He is now known for his association with the influential collection of emblems and imprese, the Symbola divina et humana appearing first in Prague, in three volumes, from 1601...
on the Prague emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
book, Symbola Divina et Humana.
External links
- British Library online database has 805 items by or after the family