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Original filePortret van keizer Matthias
About This Work
The Emperor is shown in three-quarter view wearing a laurel wreath and a wide pleated ruff. He wears highly detailed armor featuring the collar and pendant of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The background within the oval is finely hatched to create a sense of depth and focus on the sitter.
Matthias succeeded his brother Rudolf II as Holy Roman Emperor, maintaining the Prague court as a vital hub for Mannerist art and natural philosophy. This work was produced by Aegidius Sadeler, a central figure in the 'Prague Circle' who also engraved works for figures like Michael Maier and Johannes Kepler.
Inscriptions
MATTHIAS. D. G. ROMAN: IMPERATOR / SEMPER AVGVSTVS / GERMAN: HVNGARIÆ BOHEM: ETC. REX. ARCHIDVX AVSTRIÆ.
Translation
MATTHIAS. BY THE GRACE OF GOD ROMAN EMPEROR / EVER AUGUST / KING OF GERMANY, HUNGARY, BOHEMIA, ETC. ARCHDUKE OF AUSTRIA.
Connected Texts
Johannes Kepler
Kepler served as Imperial Mathematician under Matthias, continuing his work from the reign of Rudolf II.
Michael Maier
Maier, the famous alchemist and author of 'Atalanta Fugiens', served as a physician and counselor to Matthias.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 139 mm x width 105 mm
portrait
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.