Pieter van Sompel & Pieter Soutman

Maximilianus I, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian I)

Pieter van Sompel's and Pieter Soutman's original engraving and etching, "Maximilianus I, Imperator" (Emperor Maximilian I), was first published in Haarlem in 1644. Designed as the sixth portrait for the set, "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae", it portrays the famous monarch most responsible for the flourishing of the arts during the German Renaissance. Under Maximilian's patronage, such great masters as Albrecht Durer, Hans Burgkmair and Albrecht Altdorfer rose to prominence. He also promoted scholars and scientists to court positions during his enlightened reign. Maximilian I, inherited the throne from his father, Emperor Frederick III. He became King of Germany in 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1493.

This impression of "Maximilianus I, Imperator" (Emperor Maximilian I), hails from the third state of four published by Frederick de Wit c. 1660 - 1680 and is printed on seventeenth century hand-made. Here, the artists depict a shoulder length portrait of the Emperor Maximilianus I wearing his armour and the Royal crown. The portrait is surrounded by a large and richly ornate oval border with an unfinished coat-of-arms and a pair of imperial eagles in the upper margins. Also, six playful putti are seen on the sides along with various armors, cannons, a dragon and other objects adorn the borders. The Latin text beneath the portrait reads; "IV. Maximilianus I, Frederici IV il. Natus, XII April. MCCCCLIX, Maria Belgii, Herede Ducta, Rom, Rex, Patre Vita Functo Imperator, Philipo Filio, Concilians, coniugem Joannam, Domui, Suae Infert, Hispaniarum, et Indiarum, Regna, Obit, Prid, Id, Janvarii, MDXIX. 'P. Soutman Invenit Effigiavit et Excud. Cum Privil. P. van Sompel Sculp. Frederick de Wit Excudit'" This etching and engraving is a fine, original example of the art created by the Dutch artists, Pieter van Sompel and Pieter Claesz Soutman.

Original Etching & Engraving by the Dutch artists, Pieter van Sompel and Pieter Soutman.

Maximilianus I, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian I)

View other original works of art from the (Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae).

(Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae) German and Austrian Emperors with a lineage to the House of Habsburg
#	Image	Title & Artist	Medium	Date	Notes
01-		Emperor Albert I (Albertus I, Imperator) by Pieter van Sompel & Pieter Soutman	Original Etching & Engraving	1644 (Frederick de Wit Edition: c. 1660 - 1680)	K. G. Boon, Catalogue #14. Third State of Four
02.-		Emperor Charles V (Carolus V, Imperator) by Pieter van Sompel & Pieter Soutman	Original Etching & Engraving	1644 (Frederick de Wit Edition: c. 1660 - 1680)	K. G. Boon, Catalogue #15. Third State of Four.
03.-		Emperor Frederick III (Imperator Fredericus III, Frederick the Fair) by Jonas Suyderhoef & Pieter Soutman	Original Etching & Engraving	1644 (Pieter Claesz Soutman, First Edition)	K. G. Boon, Catalogue #50. First State of Four.
04.-		Emperor Maximilian I (Maximilianus I, Imperator) by Jonas Suyderhoef and Pieter Soutman	Original Etching & Engraving	1644 (Frederick de Wit Edition: c. 1660 - 1680)	K. G. Boon, Catalogue #21. Third State of Four.
05.-		Emperor, Maximilian II (Maximilianus II, Imperator) by Jonas Suyderhoef and Pieter Soutman	Original Etching & Engraving	1644 (Frederick de Wit Edition: c. 1660 - 1680)	K. G. Boon, Catalogue #22. Third State of Four
06.-		Emperor Rudolph I, Founder and Count of Habsburg (Rudolphus I, Nascitur Comes Habsburgicus) by Jonas Suyderhoef and Pieter Soutman	Original Etching & Engraving	1644 (Frederick de Wit Edition: c. 1660 - 1680)	K. G. Boon, Catalogue #23. Third State of Four.

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Title:	Maximilianus I, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian I)
Engraver:	Pieter van Sompel (Antwerp, c. 1600 - Haarlem, after 1644)
Etcher:	Pieter Claesz Soutman (Haarlem, 1580 - 1657)
Designer:	Pieter Claesz Soutman (Haarlem, 1580 - 1657)
Medium:	Original Etching & Engraving (Third State of Four)
Publisher:	Frederick de Wit
Date:	Date: 1644 (Frederick de Wit Edition: c. 1660 - 1680)
Source:	Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae
Note:	Pieter van Sompel: Born in Antwerp, Pieter van Sompel (sometimes, Sompelen) came to Haarlem to study engraving techniques under Pieter Claesz Soutman. He afterwards worked almost exclusively for this master and publisher, contributing many portrait engravings to such sets as "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae" (1644), "Ferdinandus II et III imperatorum domus Austriacae and The Princes of Nassau" (1643). Perhaps because of similarities of the titles, portraits from the first two sets are often assigned to the wrong series. "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae" (1644) consists of thirteen large engravings and etchings of Habsburg Emperors, the majority of which were engraved by Pieter van Sompel. Such is the case with this original portrait depicting Emperor Maximilian I. "Ferdinandus II et III imperatorum domus Austriacae" contains almost thirty smaller portraits depicting European Kings, Queens and Dukes during the reigns of Ferdinand II and III.
	Pieter van Sompel also engraved portraits and mythological and religious scenes after the designs of Rubens and Vandyck. During his career he engraved the portraits of such contemporaries as Philip of Nassau, Prince of Orange, Cardinal Ferdinand, Isabella, Infanta of Spain, Henry, Count of Nassau, and Gaston, Duke of Orleans.
	Pieter Soutman 'Pieter Claesz Soutman': A Dutch painter, etcher, engraver and print publisher, Pieter Claesz Soutman moved to Antwerp around 1620 to study painting and engraving techniques under Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). He was then employed by both the courts of Berlin and Warsaw to paint historical subjects and portraits. Soutman returned to Haarlem in 1628 and in the following years established a studio there where he taught the techniques of the famous school of Rubens. Among his students were Jones Suyderhoef, Pieter van Sompel, Cornelius Visscher and Jan Timans. Pieter Claesz Soutman entered the Guild of Haarlem in 1633.
	Many of Pieter Soutman's etchings and engravings are based upon the designs of Rubens. Some, however, were both designed and etched or engraved by his hand, as is here the case with this unique, ornamental border. Here, Maximilian's coat-of-arms and a pair of imperial eagles inhabit the upper margins. One of the birds grasps a book in its beak, probably signifying the scholarship of the Renaissance. Six playful putti are seen on the sides. In his etching techniques Soutman aimed to keep his compositions both light and broad.
	For engraving the thirteen portraits of "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae" Pieter Soutman turned to two of his best apprentices, Jonas Suyderhoef (2) and Pieter van Sompel (11). Today such institutions as the British Museum and National Portrait Gallery, London, the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco include various impressions from the "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae" in their permanent collections.
	A Biographical Note: Maximilian I (Weiner Neaustadt, 1459 - Wels, 1519) was the son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III (1415-1493) and the Holy Roman Empress Eleanor of Portugal (1434-1467). He was the paternal grandson of Ernest, Duke of Austria, 'Ernest the Iron' (1377-1424), paternal great grandson of Leopold III, Duke of Austria (1351-1386). Maximilian I, thus inherited the throne from his father, Emperor Frederick III. He became King of Germany in 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1493. Maximilian I married Mary, Dutchess of Burgundy (1457-1482). Besides his contributions to the arts and sciences, Emperor Maximilian expanded the Habsburg Empire by arranging the marriage of his son Philip I (1478 - 1506) to the Princess Joanna of Castile (1479-1555) in 1498. Thus when Charles V (1500-1558), son of Philip I, succeeded Maximilian I (Charle's paternal grandfather), in 1519 Charles V ruled as the monarch of both the Holy Roman Empire and the Spanish Empire. In this original etching and engraving, the artists Pieter van Sompel and Pieter Soutman depict a shoulder length portrait of the Emperor Maximilianus I wearing his armour and the Royal crown. The portrait is surrounded by a large and richly ornate oval border with an unfinished coat-of-arms and a pair of imperial eagles in the upper margins. One of the birds grasps a book in its beak, probably signifying the scholarship of the Renaissance. Six playful putti are seen on the sides along with various armours, cannons, a dragon and other objects. The Latin text beneath the portrait reads; "IV. Maximilianus I, Frederici IV il. Natus, XII April. MCCCCLIX, Maria Belgii, Herede Ducta, Rom, Rex, Patre Vita Functo Imperator, Philipo Filio, Concilians, coniugem Joannam, Domui, Suae Infert, Hispaniarum, et Indiarum, Regna, Obit, Prid, Id, Janvarii, MDXIX. 'P. Soutman Invenit Effigiavit et Excud. Cum Privil. P. van Sompel Sculp. Frederick de Wit Excudit'". A loose translation for the text reads; (Plate 4. Maximilian I, Son of Frederick, Born April 12, 1459, Mary Duchess of Burgundy, Heir to the Throne, after the death of his father, the Holy Roman Emperor, His son, Philip I, expanded the house by marriage to Joanna thus joining both Spain and the Indies, Died, January 9th, 1519.)
Raisonne:	K. G. Boon, ed., Hollstein’s Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, Van Gendt B.V., Blaricum, 1984. Volume 27, pp. 209 - 213. Catalogue #21. Third State of Four, as described.
Note:	Determining the states for each engraving from the "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae" is not difficult. Changes occur only within the lettering. The first state is the only state that contains the date, 1644. In the second state the date has been removed. The third state contains the name of the new publisher, 'F. de Wit' or 'Frederick de Wit', to the lower right, as is the case with this impression of "Maximilianus I, Imperator". Lastly, for the fourth and final state, both the Roman numeral and de Wit's name have been removed.
	On the other hand, determining an exact date for Frederick de Wit's maps, portraits and other prints is not an easy task. Frederick de Wit (1630-1706) moved from his birthplace in Gouda to Amsterdam around 1648. He opened his first printing and publishing house there in 1654. He continued to publish a large number atlases, books and prints until the end of the century. Very few bear dates and thus in determining the date of publication for this original engraving I have left the broad range of c. 1660 - 1680.
	Information concerning Pieter Soutman's dual role as both the designer and etcher of the borders was obtained from the British Museum. This may be viewed online under the British Museum Registration Number: 1867,0413.609, Imperatores Domus Austriacae, portrait of Albertus II by Pieter Soutman and Jonas Suyderhoef. The Curator comments, "The portraits are engraved by Jonas Suyderhoef (Hollstein nos. 49-50) and Pieter van Sompel (Hollstein 14-24); while the ornamental borders are etched by Pieter Soutman, who also published the series in Haarlem in 1644". The museum also includes an impression of Pieter van Sompel's & Pieter Soutman's portrait of Maximilianus I, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian I), Museum number 1876,0708.2656. Their impression is also a third state without the date and includes Frederick de Witt's name.
Size:	17 3/8 X 14 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.)
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Condition:	Printed on seventeenth century hand-made, laid paper and trimmed to the plate-mark, as usual. Impressions from Frederick de Wit's edition contain both vertical and horizontal fold marks to accommodate the size of the text of "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae". Such is the case with this original engraving. An ink spot may be seen within the oval of the portrait to the left. As well, a large, horizontal tear to the lower left has been finely restored by a former owner. Else this original seventeenth century engraving is very well printed and in fair condition throughout. Altogether, "Maximilianus I, Imperator" (Emperor Maximilian I) represents a fine, original example of the engraved art of Pieter van Sompel and the etching and design techniques of Pieter Claesz Soutman.
Subject:	Pieter van Sompel, Pieter van Sompelen, Pieter Claesz Soutman, Pieter Soutman, "Maximilianus I, Imperator" (Emperor Maximilian I), Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, Holy Roman Empress Eleanor of Portugal, King Edward of Portugal, King of Portugal, John I, original engraving and etching, "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae", the arts during the German Renaissance, Albrecht Durer, Hans Burgkmair and Albrecht Altdorfer, Guild of Haarlem.
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