Lucht (Aer) 1606 - 1610

Jacob Matham's "Lucht (Aer)" (1606-1610), a masterful example of Dutch Renaissance printmaking, depicts the personified element of Air. The image shows Air, a winged figure with a feathered headdress, seated on clouds, holding a bird in one hand and a scepter in the other. Surrounded by a decorative frame, the composition evokes the lightness and freedom associated with the element. This print, now part of the Rijksmuseum collection, provides a glimpse into the allegorical tradition of representing natural forces through human figures, common in Renaissance art.