Artwork
Landscape with Roger Liberating Angelica
Landscape with Roger Liberating Angelica is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Cornelis Cort. It dates from 1565 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Cornelis Cort, a Dutch engraver active in mid‑sixteenth‑century Italy under the name Cornelio Fiammingo, produced the print *Landscape with Roger Liberating Angelica* in 1565. Executed on laid paper and reinforced with a second sheet of heavy laid paper, the work combines a narrative episode with an expansive natural setting, typical of the period’s landscape tradition.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a tranquil woman reclining beneath a tree, absorbed in a book, while a dormant dragon coils nearby.
The composition centers on a tranquil woman reclining beneath a tree, absorbed in a book, while a dormant dragon coils nearby. Beyond them a craggy hill supports a modest castle, and a distant town spreads along a waterway, linked by a bridge. The juxtaposition of serene study and latent menace suggests a tension between intellectual calm and mythic danger, echoing the legend of Roger’s rescue of Angelica.
Technique & Style
Cort employed a burin to incise fine, intersecting lines that render atmospheric clouds, foliage, and stone with remarkable depth. The engraving’s tonal gradations arise from closely spaced hatching, while the layered paper support enhances the print’s durability and subtle texture. Such meticulous line work exemplifies the high level of craftsmanship characteristic of Cort’s Italian period.
History & Provenance
Created during the final dozen years of Cort’s life, the print reflects his mature style after relocating from the Netherlands to Italy. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work has been documented in several European collections of Renaissance prints, indicating its circulation among connoisseurs of the era’s graphic art.
Context
In the 1560s, Italian printmakers frequently merged classical narratives with detailed topographical elements, catering to a market that prized both literary allusion and visual realism. Cort’s *Landscape with Roger Liberating Angelica* aligns with this trend, drawing on the popular Arthurian episode while showcasing the artist’s ability to render complex environments within a single plate.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Cort (c. 1533 – c. 17 March 1578) was a Dutch engraver and draughtsman. He spent the last 12 years of his life in Italy, where he was known as Cornelio Fiammingo.
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