Morning, plate one from Four Times of Day

Jan Saenredam, who began his career as a mapmaker, is esteemed as a pupil of both Hendrick Goltzius and, probably, Jacques de Gheyn (1565–1629). He studied briefly with the older artist in 1589, and from 1593 to 1597, he engraved drawings made by Goltzius in Rome. Saenredam’s prints, many of which were based on Goltzius’s works, were sometimes considered even more elegant and delicate than his teacher’s originals. Saenredam achieved a silvery tonality with subtle effects of artificial illumination, which he particularly exploited in Evening and Night, the candlelit scenes of the series Four Times of Day.