The Power of Woman [3 Esdras 4:18-19, 22-23, 29-32], from The Four Strongest Powers - Philips Galle

Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust Collection, purchased with funds provided by the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial, Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston, anonymous, and Suzanne Searle Dixon endowment funds

Drawings Prints

"The Power of Woman [3 Esdras 4:18-19, 22-23, 29-32], from The Four Strongest Powers" by Philips Galle (1574) Engraving on ivory laid paper.

Commentary

"The Power of Woman [3 Esdras 4:18-19, 22-23, 29-32], from The Four Strongest Powers" by Philips Galle (1574) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include engraving. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Philips Galle is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Philips Galle (Flemish, 1537–1612) after Gerard van Groeningen (Netherlandish, active Antwerp, 1563-73). The work is cataloged within a Flanders cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as engraving, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Engraving on ivory laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Plate: 19.2 × 26.5 cm (7 9/16 × 10 7/16 in.); sheet: 26.2 × 33.1 cm (10 3/8 × 13 1/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include engraving. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/268087

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data