Stradanus's Printmaking Process Revealed Through Cooper Hewitt Collection

An article from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum examines the printmaking process of Jan van der Straet, known as Stradanus, a Flemish late-Renaissance artist who worked primarily in Italy. Stradanus created numerous print series covering diverse subjects like technology, history, and religion, which circulated widely across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, influencing other artworks. His most famous prints depict hunting scenes, such as 'The King of England Hunting for Rabbits' from the series 'Venationes, ferrarum, arium, piscium,' originally designed for Medici villa tapestries in Poggio a Caiano between 1566 and 1577. The article details the collaborative creation process: Stradanus began with initial sketches, or 'prima pensieri,' often combining multiple designs on single sheets to conserve paper. He then produced more finished drawings called 'modelli,' which included detailed textures and tonal variations to guide engravers. For 'The King of England Hunting for Rabbits,' the modello is housed at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. The engraver Theodor Galle, a frequent collaborator, used a burin to transfer the design onto a copper plate, resulting in a mirrored final print. The process sometimes involved revisions, as seen in 'Crocodile Hunt with Pigs as Bait,' where Stradanus altered compositions between sketch and print to emphasize drama. The prints were produced internationally, with sketches and modelli made in Italy and engraving and publishing handled in Antwerp by Philips Galle's firm Aux Quatre Vents. Cooper Hewitt holds over 300 of Stradanus's sketches, acquired from collector Giovanni Piancastelli by founders Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt, offering insights into his artistic methods and collaborations. The article, authored by Assistant Curator Jamie Kwan, highlights how these materials illuminate the technical and social networks of 16th-century printmaking.