Lot 2028 Dα

The Antwerp artist Willem II van Nieulandt travelled to Rome in 1601 and remained there for several years working in the studio of his famous compatriot Paul Bril. His landscapes and historical scenes are interspersed with memories of his stay in Rome. The present depiction is also heavily influenced by Roman antiquity, showing a gigantic temple with a monumental statue of Jupiter. It is a representation of one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Nieulandt based his work on an engraving by Philippe Galle (1572), which was in turn copied from a drawing in Maarten van Heemskerck's series showing the wonders of the ancient world. The coronation scene in the foreground is also inspired by the engraving. Nieulandt adds new elements, such as the landscape backdrop, which reveals Paul Bril's influence, as well as the thronging of passers-by, worshippers and horse-drawn carriages in and around the temple.



The copper plate bears the hallmark of the Antwerp plate maker Pieter Stas and the date 1604. It is therefore an early work by Willem van Nieulandt, probably created shortly after his return from Rome.