Willem van NIEULANDT II (1584 - 1635): Large view of Rome with the Isle of the Tibre in the Centre – c. 1605/1610 (?)
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Etching printed from three plates, 415 x 870 mm. Hollstein 9a.
This print is composed of three plates printed on three sheets of laid paper joined end to end. A very fine impression. Restored horizontal tear in the middle of the left-hand plate, two restored tears in the central fold of the centre and right-hand plates. Three vertical folds, very small lack in the centre. Small paper fills in the right and lower margins. The print has been backed with japan paper. Thread margins on three sides, good margin on the left (sheet: around 425 x 905 mm).
Very rare. There are two impressions in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (RP-P-1992-114 and RP-P-OB-70.894), one (stained) in the British Museum and one in the Fondation Custodia, Paris.
A painter and printmaker born in Antwerp, Willem van Nieulandt II left his native city to work in Amsterdam and then Rome, where he developed a passion for ancient architecture. He returned to Antwerp in 1605. It was here that he etched and published this impressive panorama. The full-length caption, written in French, Latin and Dutch, indicates the main monuments depicted: ‘Here is the Roman bridge and all its structures, / The Tiber crossing with its six archs: / Which was once known as the Palatine, or Senat Bridge, / and is now known as Sant’ Marie. / And here you can see the view of the Isle Tiberine / Increased little by little by the body of Tarquin: / Contemplate also the bridge known as Quattro capi, / And of Sainct Bartholmieu, which Ceste once made.’ (translated by us)
« Another print, remarkable for its size, and not part of any series, depicts the Tiber Island and the Ponte Fabrizio, along with several fishermen and their boats.29 The print covers three plates and is reminiscent of Van Nieulandťs early etching. The clouds in the upper left and the overall rough etching style are very much in line with his earliest work. It is likely to have been his first attempt at using several plates for one print. Like his earlier prints, it includes the information Guilelmus Nieulandt fecit et excud. Antverpiae, but it also bears tides in Dutch, French and Latin, which might indicate that it was intended for a more international market. The print is dedicated to Ioanni de Cock. This De Cock, apparently a friend of Van Nieulandt, could very well be Jan de Cock (before 159 1 - Antwerp 1625/ 26) a fellow landscape painter in Antwerp. No drawing is known for this print, nor does it bear resemblance to any work of the artists whom Van Nieulandt more often copied.” (Willem Adriaan te Slaa, « Willem van Nieulandt II as Printmaker », Print Quarterly, vol. XXXI, 2014, p. 384).
The panorama, etched in Antwerp, was probably based on studies made there by Van Nieulandt before his return. In fact, Carel van Tuyll van Serooskerken notes that ‘there are several genre figures in this urban view, including fishermen examining their catch, and in the centre, seated in a small boat, a draughtsman seen from behind: a concealed self-portrait?’ (translated by us).