Holy Family and Two Music-Making Angels
Around 1590, Jan Muller began making engravings after designs by Bartholomeus Spranger, the court painter to the Emperor Rudolf II of Prague. Previously Hendrick Goltzius, the foremost Mannerist printmaker and most probably Muller’s teacher, had occupied the unofficial role as Spranger’s engraver, but when the former left the Netherlands to travel in Italy, Muller was the logical successor. The Holy Family with Two Music-Making Angels is Muller’s earliest print after Spranger and one of only two with religious rather than a mythological subjects, which were more typical of the worldly, sophisticated society of Rudolf’s court.
Artwork Details
- Title: Holy Family and Two Music-Making Angels
- Artist: Jan Muller (Netherlandish, Amsterdam 1571–1628 Amsterdam)
- Artist: After Bartholomeus Spranger (Netherlandish, Antwerp 1546–1611 Prague)
- Publisher: Harmen Jansz. Muller (Netherlandish, Amsterdam ca. 1540–1617 Amsterdam)
- Date: ca. 1588–92
- Medium: Engraving; probably second state of three (lacking titlespace below)
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 11 1/4 × 13/16 in. (28.5 × 2.1 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
- Object Number: 53.601.336(80)
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Multiple artists/makers
1701–24
Multiple artists/makers
after 1585
Jan Muller
Lucas van Leyden
n.d.
Jan Muller
Harmen Jansz. Muller
1593
Jan Muller
Harmen Jansz. Muller
ca. 1600
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.