Matrona Argentinensis, Wenceslaus Hollar, 1644

Wenceslaus HollarCzech, English, 1607–1677

Matrona Argentinensis

1644 · Costume print

Can I see it?

Unknown

Where is “Matrona Argentinensis” now? Collection: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Unknown.

Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.

Source: The museum

On the map Museum page

About the work

Museum text in Dutch

Vrouw uit Straatsburg, van voren gezien, in een geplooid overkleed met platte kraag en poffende, halflange mouwen. Muts met vooruitstekende klep. Lijf met nauwsluitende mouwen met manchetten. Smalle plooikraag.

Rijksmuseum

Details

Accession number: RP-P-OB-11.512

What it shows

Fur coats Women's coats Women's caps Women's clothing Named women's neckwear Women's sleeves Europeans: Germans Strasbourg

In the catalog

Prints Baroque 17th century

Sources

Rijksmuseum
Image: Rijksmuseum — public domain

In the life of Wenceslaus Hollar

The whole life

by 1642
Enters the service of the Duke of York
By 1642 Arundel had left England, and Hollar passed into the service of the Duke of York, taking his young family with him.
1643–1644
Endures the siege of Basing House with fellow royalist artists
With other royalist artists, notably Inigo Jones and the engraver William Faithorne, he stands the long siege of Basing House; some hundred plates by his hand are dated 1643 and 1644. The Civil War, despite his productivity, adversely affected his income.
1645
Captured by parliamentary forces, he escapes
Hollar joins the Royalist Regiment and is captured by parliamentary forces in 1645 during the siege of Basing House; after a short time he manages to escape.
1646
After Arundel’s death he works for authors and publishers
After the earl’s death in Padua in 1646, Hollar earns his living by working for various authors and publishers, which becomes his primary means of distribution.
1646
Meets Arundel again in Antwerp
In Antwerp in 1646 Hollar again meets the Earl of Arundel, in whose household he had lived for many years.
1646–1652
Works in Antwerp during the Civil Wars
During the unrest of the Civil Wars he works in Antwerp, where he produces many of his most renowned works: Dutch cityscapes, seascapes, depictions of nature, his “muffs” and “shells”.