Schelte a Bolswert or Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert (c. 1586 – 1659) was a Frisian engraver who worked most of his career in Antwerp where he was one of the lead engravers in Rubens' workshop. He is known for his reproductive works after

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...

and

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

.Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: ), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center in the world. The center specializes in document ...

Life

He was born in the town of Bolswert in

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

around 1586 as the son of Adam Uytema. Both he and his older brother,

Boetius à Bolswert Boetius à Bolswert (also Boetius Adamsz Bolswert, Bodius; c. 1585, – late 1633) was a Flemish engraver of Friesland origin. In his time the paintings of Peter Paul Rubens called forth new endeavours by engravers to imitate or reproduce the brea ...

left in 1609 their hometown for Amsterdam where the older brother worked as an engraver for the print publisher Michiel Colyn. The younger brother studied printmaking with his brother and produced his first known work in 1612. By 1617 the brothers were active in Antwerp as employees of the

Plantin Press The Plantin Press at Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest ...

. Boetius was admitted as a freemaster in the Antwerp

Guild of Saint Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was iden ...

in 1621. He and Adam received a permit (a so-called 'privilege') to engrave, print and sell engravings in Antwerp. Adam became freemaster in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in the guild year 1625-1626. He never acquired Antwerp

poorter Poorter () is an historical term for a type of Dutch, or Flemish, burgher who had acquired the right to live within the walls of a city with city rights. In the Dutch Republic, this ''poorterrecht'' or ''poorterschap'' (citizenship) could be ...

schap (citizenship). Schelte lived in with the Lauwers family of printers on the Lombardenvest. For the last five years of his life Boetius worked exclusively on engravings after Rubens. Following his death in 1633, Schelte was employed by Rubens in his place. He worked closely with the painter, who sometimes retouched his proofs. He continued to engrave his works after Rubens' death in 1640. He died in Antwerp and was buried on 22 December 1659 in the choir of

Antwerp Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium. Today's seat of the Diocese of Antwerp started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been 'completed'. It was construct ...

Work

Bolswert's plates were worked entirely with the graver, and he does not seem to have made any use of the

drypoint Drypoint is a printmaking technique of the intaglio (printmaking), intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a plate (or "matrix") with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point. In principle, the method is practically iden ...

. Basan said of his work:

The freedom which this excellent artist handled the graver, the picturesque roughness of etching, which he could imitate without any other assisting instrument, and the ability he possessed of distinguishing the different masses of colours, have always been admired by the conoisseurs".

Joseph Strutt, after quoting this passage, adds that Bolswert "drew excellently, and without any manner of his own; for his prints are the exact transcripts of the pictures he engraved from". His plates are generally signed with his name.

Principal prints

Various subjects, mostly after his own designs

*''The Infant Jesus and St. John playing with a Lamb''. *''The Virgin Mary, and Infant Jesus sleeping''. *''The Virgin giving suck to the Infant''. *''The Virgin Mary, with her hands folded on her Breast''. *''The Virgin Mary with the Infant in the clouds, with Angels and

Cherub A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...

im''. *''The Infant Jesus caressing the Virgin Mary, and St. Joseph holding a Pear''. *Twelve half-length figures of Saints. Schelte a Bolswert - elegant gezelschap Christoffel vd Laemen

Schelte a Bolswert - elegant gezelschap Christoffel vd Laemen

*Twelve other half-length figures of Saints, beginning with St. Peter. *''A

Hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

kneeling before a

Crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

''. *'' Mater Dolorosa''. *''Jesus Christ triumphing over Death''. *'' St. Barbe, Martyr''. *'' St. Stanislaus Koska, kneeling before an

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

''. *''St.

Francis Borgia Francis Borgia (; ; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of both Pope Alexander VI and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After the death of his w ...

''. *'' St. Alfonso Rodriguez''. *'' Robert Bellarmin, of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

''. *''

Leonard Lessius Lenaert Leys, better known as Leonardus Lessius (1 October 1554 in Brecht - 15 January 1623, in Leuven) was a Brabant jurist, theologian, economist from the Jesuit order. Nicknamed the "oracle of the Low Countries", figurehead of the School o ...

''; another Jesuit. *An emblematical subject of Prince Ferdinand; inscribed ''In te spes reclinata recumbit''. *Two plates of a Thesis; dedicated to Sigismund, King of Poland. *Six plates, with the Frontispiece, for the Académie de I'Espée; by Thibault. 1628. *''The Dispute between the Gras and the Meagre''; B. A. Bolswert inv.

Various subjects, after different Flemish masters

*''The Death of a Saint, and that of a Sinner''; after Abraham van Diepenbeeck. *''The Dead Christ on the Knees of the Virgin Mary''. *'' The Crucifixion of the Three Jesuits at Japan''; after the same. *''The Crucifixion''; '' Jac. Jordans inv. et pinx''.; the best impressions are before the ''cum Privilegio Regis''. *'' Mercury and Argus''; after the same; the good impressions are before the address of Blooteling. Schelte Adamsz

*''The infant

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

''. *'' Pan playing on a Flute''; after the same. *''A Concert''; entitled ''Soo Doude songen, soo pepen de Jongen''; after the same. *''Pan holding a Basket of Fruit, and Ceres crowned with Corn, and a Man sounding a Horn''; after the same. *''The Salutation''; after

Gerard Seghers Gerard SeghersGerard Seghers
at the

. *'' The Return of the Holy Family out of Egypt''; after the same. *''The Virgin appearing to St. Ignatius, who is kneeling''; after the same. *''St.

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

, tempted by the Devil''; after the same. *''Peter denying Christ''; after the same. *'' Abraham sacrificing Isaac''; after

Theodoor Rombouts Theodoor Rombouts (2 July 1597 – 14 September 1637) was a Flanders, Flemish painter who is mainly known for his Caravaggism, Caravaggesque genre painting, genre scenes depicting lively dramatic gatherings as well as religiously themed works. ...

. *''A Concert''; after the same. *''The Virgin with the Infant Jesus holding a Globe''; after Erasmus Quellinus the Younger. *''The Communion of St. Rosa''; after the same. *''The Triumph of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, 1653''; four sheets; after the same.

Portraits, etc., after Van Dyck

*''

Andries van Eertvelt Andries van Eertvelt (1590–1652), was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and engraver who was one of the first Flemish artists to specialize in marine art. Several of his pupils also became prominent marine artists.Marten Pepijn Marten Pepijn (21 February 1575 – 1643) was a Flemish painter who was mainly known for his large-scale history painting, history paintings and to a lesser extent for his smaller Genre art, genre scenes.Adriaen Brouwer Adriaen Brouwer ( – January 1638) was a Flemish painter active in Flanders and the Dutch Republic in the first half of the 17th century.Jan Baptist Barbé'', engraver. (pictured) *''

Justus Lipsius Justus Lipsius (Joest Lips or Joost Lips; October 18, 1547 – March 23, 1606) was a Flemish Catholic philologist, philosopher, and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatibl ...

'', historiographer royal. *'' Albert de Ligne, Prince of Barbançon and Arenberg''. *''Mary Ruthven'', wife of Van Dyck. Barbe

*'' Margaret of Lorraine'', Duchess of Orleans. *'' Willem de Vos'', painter. (pictured) *''

Sebastiaen Vrancx Sebastiaen Vrancx (; before 22 January 1573 – 19 May 1647) was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and designer of prints who is mainly known for his battle scenes, a genre that he pioneered in Netherlandish painting. He also created lands ...

'', painter. *'' Maria mater Dei''. *''The

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...

, with an Angel holding a Crown''. *''The Virgin and the Infant Christ on her Knoe, with a Female Saint holding a Palm''. *''The Holy Family, with the Infant sleeping in the Arms of the Virgin''. *''The Holy Family in a landscape, with several Angels''. *''Christ crowned with Thorns''; very fine. *'' The Elevation of the Cross''. *''The

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

'', a grand composition, with two Men on horseback, and a figure presenting the Sponge to Christ. On the other side, the Virgin Mary and St. John standing, and

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

kneeling and embracing the Cross. This is considered one of the most beautiful engravings by Bolswert. In the first impressions, which are very scarce, the hand of St. John is not seen on the shoulder of the Virgin: in the second impressions, the hand of St. John rests on the Virgin's shoulder, and the name of Van Dyck is changed from the left to the right hand comer of the plate. In the last impressions the hand was erased, probably to give them the appearance of first impressions, but the trick is easily discovered by the superiority of the first in point of clearness and colour.

Subjects after Rubens

*'' The Brazen Serpent''; the best impressions are those which have the word Antwerpiae at the right hand corner, without the name of G. Hendrix. *''The

Marriage of the Virgin The Marriage of the Virgin is the subject in Christian art depicting the marriage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The wedding ceremony is not mentioned in the canonical Gospels but is covered in several apocryphal sources and in later redact ...

''; the best impressions have the name of Hendrix, without the word Antwerpiae. *''The

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

''; the best impressions are those with the address of Martinus van den Enden the Elder. *'' The Nativity''; the best impressions have the same address. *''

The Adoration of the Magi ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

''; the same. *''The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt'': the same. *''The Feast of Herod, with Herodias presenting the Head of St. John to her Mother''. *''The Executioner giving the Head of St. John to Herodias''. *''The miraculous Draught of Fishes''; in three plates. *''Christ crucified between the Thieves''; G. Hendrix exc. *''The Crucifixion, a Soldier on horseback piercing the side of Our Saviour''; dated 1631; extremely fine. *''The Crucifixion, with the city of Jerusalem in the distance''; M. van den Enden exc. *''The Dead Christ in the Lap of the Virgin Mary, with. St. Francis''; the same subject is engraved by Pontius. *''The

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

''; M. van den Enden excudit. *''The Ascension''; the same. *''The

Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

''. *''The

Fathers of the Church The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

''; Nic. Lauwers exc. *''The Destruction of

Idolatry Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic ...

''; in two sheets; the same. *''The Triumph of the Church''; in two sheets; the same. *''The

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

''; Ant. Bon. Enfant exc. *''The Assumption''; arched; M. van den Enden exc. *''The Assumption, with one of the Disciples lifting the Stone of the Sepulchre''; M. van den Enden; the impressions with the address of G. Hendrix are posterior, and those with the name of C. van Merlen are retouched. *''The Infant Jesus embracing the Virgin Mary''; M. van den Enden exc. *''The Virgin Mary holding a Globe, and the Infant Jesus holding a Sceptre''. *''The Holy Family, vrith the Infant Jesus and St. John caressing a Lamb''. *''The Holy Family, with a Parrot on a Pillar''; A. Bonenfant exc. *''St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier''; the first impressions are before the name of Rubens. *''The Education of the Virgin by

St. Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's na ...

''; the best impressions are without the name of Hendrix. *'' St. Cecilia''; very fine. *'' St. Theresa at the Feet of Christ, interceding for the Souls in

Purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...

''; M. van den Enden exc. *''The Continence of Scipio''; the best impressions are before the address of G. Hendrix. *''

Silenus In Greek mythology, Silenus (; , ) was a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus. He is typically older than the satyrs of the Dionysian retinue ('' thiasos''), and sometimes considerably older, in which case he may be referred to as a Pa ...

, drunk, supported by a

Satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

, with another figure''; the best impressions are those with the name of Bolswert only, without the address. *''A Peasant Dance'', Gillis Hendricx excudit.

Landscapes and hunting scenes

*A set of six 'large landscapes' after Rubens ** Philemon and Baucis (

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

) - grand landscape deluged by a torrent. **Shipwreck of

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas ( , ; from ) was a Troy, Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus (mythology), Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy ...

after (

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

) - grand landscape, sea-coast, beacon and a shipwreck. **Shipwreck of St Paul at Malta. - landscape with rainbow. ** The Calydonian Boar Hunt, with

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

and

Meleager In Greek mythology, Meleager (, ) was a hero venerated in his '' temenos'' at Calydon in Aetolia. He was already famed as the host of the Calydonian boar hunt in the epic tradition that was reworked by Homer. Meleager is also mentioned as o ...

in a grand woody landscape. **A view near

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

, with Haymakers and a Waggon, and figures driving Cattle. **

Parable of the Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father; ) is one of the parables of Jesus in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. In Luke 15, Jesus tells this sto ...

Rubens c. 1618: Royal Museum of Fine Arts,

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. E.g. Fitzwilliam Museum Accession K.22. - including a stable with horses and cows. *A set of twenty 'smaller landscapes'. *A set of twelve Huntings of different animals, of which one is a Lion Hunt, with figures on horseback.

References

Attribution: *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolswert, Schelte a 1580s births 1659 deaths 17th-century Dutch engravers 17th-century Flemish engravers People from Bolsward