Artwork
Ignis (Fire)
Ignis (Fire) is an ink print by the Baroque artist Jan van de Velde. It dates from 1622 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The composition balances density with clear spatial organization, inviting close inspection of its intricate details.
Ignis, an etching created in 1622 by Jan van de Velde II, presents a bustling harbor rendered on laid paper. The monochrome image captures a moment of activity: a vessel being loaded with barrels, smoke curling from a chimney, and figures in period dress attending to various tasks, including a woman tending a fire. The composition balances density with clear spatial organization, inviting close inspection of its intricate details.
Subject & Meaning
The print portrays a commercial port scene, emphasizing the quotidian labor of loading cargo and domestic work beside the waterfront. The presence of a woman pouring into a pot over a fire suggests domestic sustenance amid trade, while the surrounding workers and the ship’s rigging highlight the interconnectedness of mercantile and household economies in early‑17th‑century Dutch society.
Technique & Style
Van de Velde employed fine, sharply etched lines to delineate textures such as rope, wood grain, and fabric folds. The use of laid paper adds a subtle tonal variation, enhancing depth without color. The artist’s meticulous line work creates a sense of order within the crowded scene, characteristic of Dutch printmaking that prized precision and narrative clarity.
History & Provenance
Jan van de Velde II, a member of a prominent artistic family, produced Ignis during the Dutch Golden Age, a period noted for its prolific print culture. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work is documented among his surviving prints and reflects the familial tradition of printmaking that linked him to his father, Jan van de Velde the Elder, and his son, still‑life painter Jan Jansz van de Velde.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan van de Velde the younger (1593 – c. 1 November 1641) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker, mostly of animal, landscape and still-life subjects. He was the son of Jan van de Velde the Elder and the father of…
View of Several Houses Facing the Port
Harbor View
Title Page for "Views of the Ports of the Sea"
The Four Markets: The Vegetable Market
The Canal
Galley with Deck Covered with Sails
Port at Amsterdam
Loading a Ship
Fish Market
Spring (Village Fair before an Inn)
Views of Sea Ports: View of the Italian Coast
Fire