Prints and Principles

Most of the recent posts give details about individual prints and earlier posts discuss some of the subtle principles guiding artists in making images meaningful and memorable. For prints that are unsold, click "Items still available for sale" below. All other prints are no longer available. My contact email is oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com and my Instagram username is @printsandprinciples. I have created a separate blog to show my own work: https://printsandprinciplesjamesbrown.blogspot.com

Wednesday, 28 January 2026

Jan Sadeler I, “Stoning of St Stephen”, c. 1580, after Maarten de Vos

Jan Sadeler I (also known as Johannes Sadeler and Johann Sadeler) (1550–1600)

“Stoning of Saint Stephen”, circa 1580

Technical Details & Condition:
Engraving on fine laid paper with small margins. This work is part of a series of five plates, titled “Martyrdom of Five Saints”, published in Antwerp by Adriaen Collaert (c. 1560–1618). It is based on a design by Maarten de Vos (also known as Marten de Vos and Maerten de Vos) (1532–1603), whose original drawing is now lost.

The impression is well-printed, with a slightly silvery appearance, and small margins surrounding the platemark. The sheet is in excellent condition—free of tears, holes, folds, and stains—and is backed with a support sheet, providing wide margins for framing or display.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 25.8 x 21.2 cm
• Platemark: 24.7 x 19.9 cm
• Image Borderline: 24 x 19.8 cm

Lettering in Plate:

• Within the image borderline at lower left: “M de vos iven. sadeler fe.”
• Below the image borderline: “ET LAPIDABANT STEPHANV INVOCANTEM, ET DICENTEM: DNE IESV SVSCIPE SPIRITV MEVM. acta/ 7”

Translation:
“And they stoned Stephen, calling, and saying: God Jesus, receive my spirit. Acts 7”

References:

• TIB 7001.299 (Isabelle de Ramaix [ed.], “The Illustrated Bartsch: Johan Sadeler I”, vol. 70, Part 2 [Supplement], 2001, New York, Abaris Books, p. 101, cat. no. [7001].299)
• Nagler 126; Le Blanc 112; Wurzbach 99; Hollstein (vol. 21) 326; Hollstein (vol. 44 [Maarten de Vos]) 884
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_D-6-168
• The Museum of Ghent: thttps://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/2013-HU. Note that the engraving reproduced there is incorrectly attributed to Aegidius Sadeler II and mistakenly described as after Jacopo Palma (il Giovane). I believe this is an oversight, as there is a different print of the Stoning of Saint Stephen that matches the Museum’s description; see https://www.famsf.org/artworks/the-stoning-of-st-stephen.

Price & Shipping:

AU$293 (approximately US$207.71 / €173.27 / £150.12), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this masterwork of engraving—note how even the smallest details, such as how the engraver left a rim of light around the shadowed side of the arm of the standing figure on the right to create a sense of space and to accentuate the shadows giving volume to the form—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will be happy to send a PayPal invoice to facilitate an easy purchase.

This print has been sold