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

Friday, 1 May 2026

Lucas Vorsterman I, “Cornelius Sachtleven”, c. 1645, after Anthony van Dyck

Lucas Vorsterman I (1595–1675)

“Cornelius Sachtleven”, circa 1645

The subject of this portrait is the Dutch printmaker and painter, better known as Cornelis Saftleven (1607–1681). Renowned for his vivid images of hell, this may explain the monster on which Saftleven nonchalantly rests his arm—a creature that Henri Hymans (1972) tentatively identifies (possibly in error) as a hippopotamus (p. 194). The Latin inscription “HOLLANDVS PICTOR NOCTIVM PHANTASMATVM”—meaning “Dutch painter of nocturnal phantasms”—suggests that Saftleven’s work often explored dreamlike, nightmarish visions. The monster reflects Saftleven’s fascination with nocturnal fantasies and dreamlike visions.

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraving on laid paper with wide margins, professionally backed with fine washi paper. This impression is from the series after Anthony Van Dyck (1599–1641), “Icones Principum Virorum” (also known as “Icones Principum Virorum Doctorum Pictorum Chalcographorum Statuariorum nec non amatorum pictoriae artis numero centum ab Antonio Van Dyck Pictore ad vivum expressae, eiusq[ue] sumptibus aeri incisae”), published in Antwerp in the Hendrick & Cornelis Verdussen edition of 1720.

The design of this portrait is based on Van Dyck’s preparatory chalk and wash drawing in the Amsterdam Historisch Museum. The impression is richly inked and flawlessly printed. Aside from a collector’s pencil notations at lower left, the sheet is in near pristine condition, free of tears, holes, folds, stains, or abrasions.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 37.8 x 25 cm
• Platemark: 24 x 15.8 cm
• Image borderline: 21.7 x 15.6 cm

In-Plate Lettering (along the writing edge):

• Left: “Ant. van Dyck pinxit. / LV [ligature] orsterman sculp.”
• Centre: “CORNELIVS SACHTLEVEN / HOLLANDVS PICTOR NOCTIVM PHANTASMATVM.”
• Right: “Cum priuilegio”

References:

• Hymans 208 (Henri Hymans, “Lucas Vorsterman, 1595-1675, et Son Oeuvre Gravé”, 1972, Amsterdam, G.W. Hissink & Co, pp. 194–195, cat. No. 208)
• New Hollstein 88 (van Dyck); Hollstein 199 (Vorsterman I); Mauquoy-Hendrickx 90
• Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200467695
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1863-0509-891

Price & Shipping:

AU$288 (approx. US$207.60 / €177.08 / £152.93), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this rare and outstandingly portrait of Cornelis Saftleven, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth transaction.

This print has been sold