Anagram in Honor of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar
In a complex synthesis of text and image, this work by Aegidius Sadeler praises Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar (1543-1608), a staunch defender of Catholicism during the French Wars of Religion. At the center of the medallion, within the circle formed by the snake eating its own tail, is Charles’s coat of arms, inverted from left to right. Although it is somewhat abraded, the rampant lions at lower center and the fleurs-de-lis and pair of fish on either side can be discerned. Inscribed on the double-cross from which the medallion appears to hang, also inverted and executed in the same combination of white gouache and black ink, are the names of Christ (IHS) and the Virgin (MARIA, the five letters intertwined). Woven through the medallion is a kind of acrostic poem. Beginning with the A at top center, and continuing clockwise and inward from the outermost ring toward the center, the capital letters in red read: "ARX DEDALEA CAROLI DUCIS", which can be translated from the Latin to “Duke Charles, Skillful Defender.” Each of these letters also forms part of one or more of the phrases, written in brown ink, that form a poem celebrating Charles’s leadership and resulting peace. The banderole below bears an inscription referring to the duke as an “impregnable fortress against the guilty French," referring presumably to the Huguenots and those who supported tolerance of Protestants in France; the text between the two strands of pearls encircling the medallion refers to the Dominican friars (predicants) of Brussels, conceivably the patrons of this drawing. Charles’s chief connection to Brussels was his niece by marriage, Isabella, Archduchess of the Spanish Netherlands from 1598. Sadeler, who left his native Antwerp in 1586, became, in 1597, court artist to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, brother of Isabella’s husband, Albert. Although tenuous, these connections may begin to explain the circumstances under which this unusual and intriguing drawing was created.
(JSS, 8/27/2018)
(JSS, 8/27/2018)
Artwork Details
- Title: Anagram in Honor of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar
- Artist: Aegidius Sadeler II (Netherlandish, Antwerp 1568–1629 Prague)
- Date: ca. 1595–1605
- Medium: Pen and brown, red and black ink, brown wash, white gouache; incised construction lines
- Dimensions: Sheet: 15 3/8 × 12 in. (39 × 30.5 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Daniel Ergmann Gift, 2014
- Object Number: 2014.104
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Aegidius Sadeler II
Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola)
Aegidius Sadeler II
Roelandt Savery
n.d.
Aegidius Sadeler II
Albrecht Dürer
n.d.
Aegidius Sadeler II
Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola)
n.d.
Multiple artists/makers
n.d.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.