Pieter van Sompel & Pieter Soutman

Maximilianus II, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian II)

Pieter Soutman's and Pieter van Sompel's original engraving and etching, "Maximilianus II, Imperator" (Emperor Maximilian II) was initially published in Haarlem in 1644. This original impression is the third state of four which was published in Amsterdam by Frederick de Wit between 1660 and 1680. Soutman designed the entire image and etched the fanciful border. Van Sompel engraved the actual portrait. Note: Maximilian II (1527 - 1576) was the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. He became King of Bohemia and Germany from 1562, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1564 until his death in 1576. His reign was marked by tolerance towards the Reformation. In 1566 he granted religious liberty to Lutheran knights and nobles. It is rumored that he refused to receive the last sacraments on his deathbed.

In this original etching and engraving, Van Sompel and Soutman depict a balding and bearded portrait of Emperor Maximilianus II slightly turned to the right. He is wearing his armour and the Order of the Golden Fleece within a large and richly ornate oval border with Maximilian's coat-of-arms and a pair of imperial eagles in the upper margins. Also, to the sides, putti are engaged in a number of activities. The Latin text beneath the portrait reads; "IX. Maximilianus II, Imperator, Ferdinandi I Fil. Natus Kal. Sextil. MDXXVII, Bohemorum, Deinde Roman, Nec Non Hungarorum Rex, Soceri, Caroli, V Vice Praefuit Hispaniis, Patri Succedit, Imperator VIII, Kal. Sex: Til MDLXIV, Turcarum Vim Elidit, Obit, IV Id, Octob. MDLXXV. 'P. Soutman Invenit Effigiavit et Excud. Cum Privil. P. van Sompel Sculp. Frederick de Wit Excudit'". This portrait of the Emperor Maximilianus II is a fine, original example of the art created by the Dutch artists, Pieter Soutman's and Pieter van Sompel.

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

Maximilianus II, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian II)

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 II, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian II)
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, spelt 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 which depicts Maximilianus II, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian II). The set entitled, "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. Pieter 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 are seen in the upper margins. To the sides putti are engaged in a number of activities. 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 II (Vienna, Austria, 1527 - Regensburg, Germany, 1576) was the son of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (1503-1547). His paternal lineage is as follows: grandson of King Philip I of Castile (1478-1506), great grandson of, the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I (1459-1519) and great, great grandson of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III (1415-1493). Maximilian II was King of Bohemia and Germany from 1562, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1564 until his death in 1576. His reign was marked by tolerance towards the Reformation. In 1566 he granted religious liberty to Lutheran knights and nobles. In 1548, Maximilian II married the Holy Roman Empress, Maria of Austria (1528-1603), daughter of his paternal uncle, the Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Spain, Charles V. It is rumored that he refused to receive the last sacraments on his deathbed. This original etching and engraving depicts a bust length portrait of Emperor Maximilianus II, the eldest son of Ferdinand I. Here, the artists depict Maximilian wearing his adorned armour and the Order of the Golden Fleece. the portrait is surrounded by a large and richly ornate oval border with Maximilian's coat-of-arms and a pair of imperial eagles in the upper margins. The Latin text beneath the portrait reads; "IX. Maximilianus II, Imperator, Ferdinandi I Fil. Natus Kal. Sextil. MDXXVII, Bohemorum, Deinde Roman, Nec Non Hungarorum Rex, Soceri, Caroli, V Vice Praefuit Hispaniis, Patri Succedit, Imperator VIII, Kal. Sex: Til MDLXIV, Turcarum Vim Elidit, Obit, IV Id, Octob. MDLXXVI. 'P. Soutman Invenit Effigiavit et Excud. Cum Privil. P. van Sompel Sculp. Frederick de Wit Excudit" a loose translation reads; (Plate 9. Emperor Maximilian II, Son of Ferdinand I, Born Kal. Sixth. 1527, Bohemian, then Roman, as well as King of Hungary, his father in law was Charles V, Governor of Spain, Successor to his Father, Emperor 8th, Kal, the 6th: 1564, Fought the Turkish forces, Died, October, 4th, Id. 1576).
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 #22. 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. 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 II, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian II), Museum number 1876,0708.112. Their impression is a first state which includes the date, 1644.
Size:	17 3/8 X 14 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.)
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Buy Now	Price: $465.00 US
Condition:	Printed on seventeenth century hand-made, laid paper and trimmed to the plate-mark, as usual. Slight staining is visible within the title and a tiny 1/2 inc tape on back by previous owner . 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. Else this original seventeenth century engraving is very well printed and in excellent condition throughout. Altogether, "Maximilianus II, Imperator" (Emperor Maximilian II) 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 II, Imperator (Emperor Maximilian II) original engraving and etching, "Effigies imperatorum domus Austriacae", the Reformation, Habsburg Emperors, Frederick de Wit edition, 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.
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