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SUYDERHOEF, Jonas (1613-1686) after Pieter SOUTMAN
Mary of Burgundy, (1457-1482)
Haarlem: Published by Pieter Soutman, circa 1644. Mixed method, engraving and etching. Printed on fine laid paper. In excellent condition. Image size: 15 5/8 x 10 7/8 inches. Plate mark: 16 5/16 x 11 inches. Sheet size: 20 ½ x 15 inches.
A stunning portrait of Mary of Burgundy, by Jonas Suyderhoef one of the most celebrated Dutch portrait engravers.
Jonas Suyderhoef was one of the most eminent seventeenth century Dutch engravers. His refined and delicate technique, which combined a complicated use of etching and engraving, revolutionized the medium and introduced a new fluidity to the art of engraving. Considering his fame, surprisingly little is known of Suyderhoef's life and career. Born in 1613, he spent the entirety of his career in Haarlem, becoming one of the city's most esteemed craftsmen. It is conjectured that he received his training from the celebrated Dutch painter and engraver Pieter Soutman. He collaborated with his master on a number of plates and later reproduced many of his paintings into fine engravings. During his career Suyderhoef produced 138 magnificent engravings, the earliest of which is dated 1641 and the latest 1669. Although he did scrape a number of dramatic mythological scenes, the vast majority of his oeuvre was portraits. He reproduced the works of the Dutch masters, in particular the portraits of Rubens, Hals, Van Dyke, and his master Soutman. He entered the Haarlem guild in 1677, and was Franz Hals's principal engraver. In the history of the medium, Jonas Suyderhoef is considered one of the masters of portrait engraving. By illustrating the subtle beauty of the medium, his rich refined style set a precedent for future engravers. This magnificent portrait of Mary of Burgundy is an excellent example of Suyderhoef's skill, and an important work from one of the greatest old master engravers of the seventeenth century.
Mary of Burgundy was the wife of Emperor Maximilian I and the daughter of Charles the Bold. Her marriage established the Hapsburg dynasty in the Low Countries and ushered in a long period of rivalry and warfare between France and Austria. At her father's death, Louis XI of France seized Burgundy and Picardy and prepared to annex the Low Countries. In order to gain control of her inheritance Mary rejected Louis XI's proposal to marry the dauphin Charles, and married Maximilian, who had hastened to her assistance with an army. Despite her efforts the Low Countries remained in turmoil and entered into a period of constant war. Mary's premature death in 1482 left her son Philip I of Castile with the crown, but it was not until 1493 that Maximilian was able to regain control of the empire. At this time France restored Artois and Franche-Comte, but annexed Burgundy and Picardy.
Hollestein, Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings, and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700 Vol XXVIII, p. 218, no. 34, state ii; Hind, A History of Engravings and Etchings p. 129; Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs
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#15316 $450.00 
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© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
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