The Power of Women

by-nc

Maker

(artist)
1544-1618
(engraver)
1539-1618
(publisher)
born ca. 1526-1528, died before 1584 (Life dates)

Title

The Power of Women

Date of Production

1579

Dimensions

Height: 23.9 cm
Width: 27.5 cm

Object Number

G.1990.WL.1068

Mode of Acquisition

Witt Library, transfer, 1990

Credit

Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Label Text

The apocryphal biblical book of Esdras recounts how three bodyguards of the Persian king Darius discussed who or what had the strongest force in the world. Wine, Kings or Women were given as options, but eventually Truth was declared to be the most powerful.

Francken’s representation of The Power of Women was the third design to be engraved by the printmaker Johannes Wierix for a related print series depicting the Four Powers. Although the drawing is fully incised, it was not directly transferred onto the printing plate as both compositions appear in the same direction. Instead, an intermediate drawing, by either the draughtsman or the printmaker, would have been used.

Notes

Plate 3 of 4 in the series The Four Powers (Hollstein Dutch 1835).

Inscriptions

Inscription: recto, lower left, within image : 3

Inscription: recto, lower margin : VINA TAMEN REGEMQVE EXCELLIT FOEMINA, REGIS / PROGENITRIX, HOMINUMQUE MARIS TERRAEQUE POTENTU / ILLIUS INDOMITO PRUDENTIA CEDIT A MORI. / VIVIDAQUE ABSISTIT VIRTUS: ILLA ASPICE FLENTES / FLENTE VIROS, LAETANTE HILARES, PELLENTE TIMOREM / IMPAVIDOS. ERGO SUBDIT SIBI FOEMINA REGEM. //

Provenance

Information not yet known or updated

Exhibition History

Drawings Gallery Display - Traces: Renaissance Drawings for Flemish Prints, Courtauld Gallery, London, 18/06/2022-25/09/2022

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