Saint Willibrord

Prints and Drawings

1625/30

Abraham Bloemaert
Dutch, 1566-1651

A prolific draftsman and influential figure for the Utrecht Caravaggisti, Abraham Bloemaert here portrayed the patron saint of the Netherlands and first Bishop of Utrecht, Saint Willibrord. Active circa 700, Willibrord is credited with introducing Christianity to present-day Netherlands and Belgium. In this and in the several other representations of this saint drawn by Bloemaert, Willibrord is shown holding a cathedral, a symbol of his pioneering efforts to establish a monastery and a cathedral in the city of Utrecht. Bloemaert showed the saint in his clerical regalia; he is made especially imposing by being depicted as if from below.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Abraham Bloemaert
Title: Saint Willibrord
Place: Netherlands (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1625–1630
Medium: Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, with opaque white watercolor, over charcoal, on cream laid paper prepared with a blue wash
Inscriptions: Inscribed verso, upper center, in graphite: "36"; center, in graphite: "St. Willebrordus"; lower left, Ploos van Amstel's inscription, in brown ink: "A: Bloemaert / geb: 1567 / h. 9 d / b 6 3/4 d"; lower left, in pen and brown ink: "reg"
Dimensions: 24.2 × 16.1 cm (9 9/16 × 6 3/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection
Reference Number: 2013.896
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/204307/manifest.json

J. Bolten, Abraham Bloemaert, c. 1565–1651, The Drawings, 2 vols. (Leiden: J. Bolten, 2007), vol. I: p. 123, cat. 312, vol. II: p. 158 (ill.).

Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, Dutch and Flemish Drawings in the Nationalmuseum and other Swedish Collections, 1953, p. 31, cat. no. 66.
Laren, Singer Museum, Oude tekeningen uit de Nederlanden, verzameling Prof. E. Perman, Stockholm, 9 June–16 September 1962, p. 8, cat. no. 9.
Art Institute of Chicago, The Thrill of the Chase: Drawings for the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection, Mar. 15–June 15, 2014, no cat.
The Art Institute of Chicago, “Rubens, Rembrandt, and Drawing in the Golden Age”, September 28, 2019 - January 5, 2020, pp. 155 (ill.), cat. by Victoria Sancho Lobis, et. al.

Dionys Muilman (1702–1772), Amsterdam; sold, Amsterdam, Mar. 29, 1773, Kunstboek H, lot 591. Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726–1798), Amsterdam [inscription (Lugt 3002–4), verso, lower left, in pen and brown ink]; possibly sold, Amsterdam, Mar. 3, 1800, Kunstboek G, lot 26. J de Bosch; sold, Amsterdam, Apr. 6, 1812, Kunstboek B, lot 43. Carel Emil Duits (1882–1969), Amsterdam [stamp (Lugt 533a), recto, lower right, in red]. Prof. Einar Perman (1893–1976), Stockholm, by 1953 [Stockholm 1953]. Sold, Sotheby’s, New York, Jan. 27, 2010, lot 9, to Dorothy Braude Edinburg, Brookline, Mass.; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2013.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.