Cornelis Visscher (Dutch, c. 1629-1658)
after Pieter van Laer (Dutch, c. 1599-1642)
A Resting Herd
INV-9471
Cornelis Visscher (Dutch, c. 1629-1658)
after Pieter van Laer (Dutch, c. 1599-1642)c. 1649-58
engravingprint
Date
c. 1649-58
Medium
Etching and engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 36.5 × 29.5 cm (14 3/8 × 11 5/8 in.); Sheet: 37 × 30.1 cm (14 5/8 × 11 7/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Horace S. Oakley
Although his life was short, Cornelis Visscher was one of the most important and productive Dutch portrait draftsmen and engravers of the 17th century. Probably trained by Pieter Soutman, he began working independently after 1650 and moved to Amsterdam after 1653. He made countless engravings of biblical, historical, genre, and landscape subjects, both after his own design and after others. He was particularly talented at animal studies and renowned for his drawn and engraved portraits. Pieter van Laer, a Dutch artist active primarily in Rome, specialized in paintings of contemporary Italian popular culture.