inscribed ‘Diviti[a]e [...] astu’ (in the plate)
engraving (circa 1595), watermark crozier (cf. Laurentius 275, Arnheim 1600) [1]
The New Hollstein 526 [2], a very good impression of the first edition issued by Hendrick Goltzius, trimmed within the platemark, some paper remnants verso, a slightly thin spot in the centre of the lower edge, otherwise in good condition
22.9 x 15.9 cm

This is the second engraving in a series of three depicting allegorical forms of marriage. The first shows A marriage for worldly love officiated by cupid; the second A marriage for wealth officiated by the devil and the third A marriage for spiritual love officiated by our Lord. Each print bears an inscription by the famous playwright and poet Cornelis Schonaeus (1540-1610), explaining the different forms of marriages and their risks and rewards. The present engraving’s inscription reads ‘Whom base riches and opulence conjoin, Are miserably deceived by the sly cunning of the devil’. [3] Jan Saenredam captures the subject brilliantly with his exceptionally skilled use of the burin. Depicted are a somewhat elderly and opulent and richly dressed couple who are being married by a nude demon with goat legs. The woman’s dress is adorned with jewellery on her wrist hangs an overloaded purse filled with coins. The devil’s foul intentions are highlighted by her breath, which contains coins exhaled towards the face of the woman. The man’s pose, as he almost strides towards his bride, combined with the couple’s facial expressions, further underscores the sinister nature of this marriage. It is only in the third engraving, where a devout couple is married by Christ, that they find true love, sharply contrasting with the first two engravings in the series.

[1] T. and F. Laurentius, Watermarks. 1600-1650, found in Zeeland Archives, Middelburg, 2007, pp. 20- 21 and 127.
[2] M. Leesberg, The New Hollstein. Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts. 1450-1700. Hendrick Goltzius. Part III, Oudekerk aan den IJssel, 2012, p. 211.
[3] J. Clifton, in Through a glass darkly. Allegory & Faith in Netherlandish prints from Lucas van Leyden to Rembrandt, exhib. cat., Atlanta, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, 2019, p. 102.