Hope

published 1559

Philip Galle after Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Associated Names
Philip Galle

Artist, Netherlandish, 1537 - 1612

Hieronymus Cock

Publisher, Netherlandish, 1518 - 1570

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Artist After, Netherlandish, c. 1525/1530 - 1569

This is a drawing of a water scene with allegorical elements. Intricate details fill the scene with a castle-like structure in the background, partially engulfed by turbulent waves. The foreground shows tumultuous seas with large fish and a boat struggling against the current. A figure with a long, pointed hat stands amidst the waves, holding onto ropes tethered to two sea creatures. Nearby, figures are on small boats and appear to be in distress. Within the stone structures near the edge of the water, smaller figures are seen engaged in various activities. The cross-hatching and line work contribute to the textures of the water, stone, and characters, adding to the dynamic sense of movement and narrative drama depicted in the scene.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1980.45.229

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 310, State only


Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1908

  • Bastelaer, Rene van. Les estampes de Peter Bruegel l'ancien. Brussels: G. van Oest et Cie, 1908.

1993

  • The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. (Philips Galle, Manfred Sellink and Marjolein Leesberg, authors). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 310, state only.

1998

  • Mc Courbey, John. "Turner's Slave Ship: abolition, Ruskin, and reception," Word and Image 14 (October-December 1998): 340, fig. 13.

Inscriptions

lower left, in image, in plate: BRVGEL. INV; lower center, in image, in plate: SPES (Hope); lower right, in image, in plate: H. cock excu.; lower margin, in plate: IVCVNDISSIMA EST SPEI PERSVASIO, ET VITAE IMPRIMIS / NECESSARIA, INTER TOT AERVMNAS PENEQ[UE] INTOLERABILES. (Very pleasant is the conviction of hope and [it is] most necessary for life, amid many and almost unbearable hardships.) [translation from Nadine Orenstein, ed., Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Drawings and Prints. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001, p. 185.]

Wikidata ID

Q65579216

You may be interested in

Loading Results