Portrait of Bartolomaeus Spranger with an Allegory of the Death of His Wife, Christina Müller 1600

Aegidius Sadeler II created this print of Bartolomaeus Spranger with an Allegory of the Death of His Wife, Christina Müller. The artwork is a poignant reflection of loss, created in a time when death was both a common presence and a subject of artistic contemplation. Here, death intertwines with life. In this memorial portrait, Spranger is immortalized alongside symbols of mortality, like the grim reaper. Christina, his wife, is framed in an oval vignette, flanked by figures representing her virtues, and a cherubic figure holding a skull. Spranger was court painter to Rudolf II, and his work often combined religious and mythological themes. His identity as a successful artist is deeply embedded in this piece, commissioned in response to intense personal loss. Sadeler’s print prompts us to consider not only the individual grief of Spranger, but also the broader societal conventions surrounding mourning and remembrance in the late 16th century.