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Original fileGraaf Rasso van Diessen-Andechs overziet de bouw van het benedictijnenklooster Andechs
About This Work
A central bearded figure in ornate armor and a halo points toward a structural blueprint held by an elderly man using a pair of compasses. In the background, laborers operate a crane and lay stones for a rising tower, while foreground masons carve decorative capitals. The scene emphasizes the transition from geometric design on paper to physical construction in stone.
Engraved by the imperial artist to Rudolf II, this work reflects the Prague court's interest in the 'liberal arts' of geometry and architecture as expressions of divine order. The use of the compass by the architect links the act of building to the Neoplatonic concept of the Great Architect of the Universe.
Inscriptions(Latin)
B. RASSO. Quid sibi vult nostri sub principis icone Rasso? An mens illius, huius in ore sedet? An veluti gentis, sic est cognatio vultus? Namq[ue] nepos veteres sæpe imitatur auos. Una in utroq[ue] fuit pietas, et principe virtus! Et posuere ambo limina sacra Deo! Da Sator et vasti regnator maxime cæli, Si labor ambobus par fuit, ut sit honor.
Translation
B. RASSO. What does Rasso mean beneath the icon of our prince? Does his mind dwell within the mouth of this one? Or, as is the lineage of the people, is the likeness of the face? For a grandson often imitates his ancient ancestors. In both there was one piety, and the virtue of a prince! And both placed sacred thresholds for God! Grant, O Creator and greatest ruler of the vast heaven, If the labor was equal for both, that the honor may be, too.
Connected Texts
Aegidius Sadeler
Sadeler was the preeminent engraver for the court of Rudolf II in Prague, where he produced works blending sacred history with the intellectual culture of the late Renaissance.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
width 156 mm x height 220 mm
religious
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.