Maurits, Prince of Orange-Nassau - Willem Jacobsz. Delff

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 European Art Prints

"Maurits, Prince of Orange-Nassau" by Willem Jacobsz. Delff (1618) Engraving on silk.

Commentary

"Maurits, Prince of Orange-Nassau" by Willem Jacobsz. Delff (1618) 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 e xpressive work. Themes to notice include engraving. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Willem Jacobsz. Delff is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Willem Jacobsz Delff (Dutch, 1580–1638) after Adriaen van de Venne (Dutch, 1589–1662). The work is cataloged within a Netherlands 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 silk) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Support (irregular): 46.1 × 33.9 cm (18 3/16 × 13 3/8 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/268736

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