Erasmus of Rotterdam

The Iconography is a collection of portrait prints made after drawings and paintings by van Dyck. Eighteen were etched by the artist himself, although the majority are engravings made by a variety of printmakers. This compilation of portraits of princes, politicians, soldiers, statesmen, scholars, art connoisseurs and most importantly artists, a survey of the most distinguished men and women of his time, went through many editions. The edition published by Martinus van den Enden during van Dyck's lifetime consisted of eighty portraits. Van Dyck prepared these prints by making oil sketches and drawings in black chalk, sometimes washed with brown ink. Many of these eighteen etched portraits by van Dyck are rare first state impressions, including the artist's Self-Portrait. The majority of the other eighteen are depictions of artists as well, including Jan and Pieter Brueghel, Lucas Vorsterman and Paulus Pontius-important reproductive engravers of Rubens's work, and Cornelis Anthoniszoon.