Cleveland Museum of Art

Bust of a Bearded Man (Doge Giovanni Cornaro)

Christoffel Jegher

Date

1632–36

Medium

chiaroscuro woodcut

Culture

Flanders

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Among the finest chiaroscuros of the 17th century are those of Jegher, a professional woodcutter who made prints after designs by Peter Paul Rubens from about 1632 until 1640. Although Rubens had employed engravers to reproduce and propagate his designs from about 1609, he did not utilize woodcut until later. Jegher produced nine woodcuts, including two chiaroscuros, after his images. Bust of a Bearded Man, based on a painting, is printed from four blocks, none of which alone produces the outline of the entire image. The resulting print is very painterly and a masterpiece in chiaroscuro.

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