Bartholomeus Spranger (1546–1611)

At the center sits the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child in her arms, who interacts with the young Saint John the Baptist (recognizable by the staff shaped like a cross and the lamb at his feet). On the left stands Joseph, leaning on a staff, while on the right a group of angels attends the scene, singing and playing the harp. At the bottom there are the authors' credits (B. Sprangers Inuent. e Ioan. Sadeler fec. et excud.) accompanied by Latin celebratory verses dedicated to the religious theme This sheet represents a collector's item of the highest level. Engraved in 1581, it belongs to the crucial period in which Spranger established himself as the reference painter for Emperor Rudolf II of the House of Habsburg. Jan Sadeler's prints after Spranger's drawings played a fundamental role in the global diffusion of the refined, intellectual and erotically charged taste of the Prague court throughout Europe. Exemplars of this same engraving are preserved in the world's most prestigious public collections, including the British Museum in London and the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. Dedicated to Wolfgang Rumpf, Baron of Wielross, influential adviser and dignitary at the court of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. The original print has been entirely counterproofed ( pasted down fully ) onto a second old paper backing to reinforce it. This operation was very common in past centuries to preserve fragile or worn sheets

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