Joos van Cleve

A half-length engraving of the artist as an older man with a prominent beard, wearing a flat cap and a fur-lined cloak. He is shown gesturing with his hands in an interior setting that includes a window and a heraldic crest in the background. The bottom of the print contains a Latin inscription dedicated to his skill and his tragic mental decline.

This print is part of the 'Pictorum aliquot celebrium Germaniae inferioris effigies', a landmark series that established the canon of Northern Renaissance artists. It reflects the humanist tradition of 'uomini illustri' (illustrious men), emphasizing the intellectual and social status of the artist in the early modern period.