Geometria, from The Seven Liberal Arts

Johann Sadeler I|Maerten de Vos

ca. 1570–1600 · Engraving and etching · Drawings and Prints

First conceptualized in the Middle Ages, the term "liberal arts" refers to the areas of study deemed necessary to attain an education grounded in classical antiquity. These subjects, which were divided into two categories—the trivium (grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music)—became common themes for allegorical prints in the early modern period. While Sadeler conceptualized the practice of arithmetic as a personal act of concentration, Geometria sits among classical ruins and exotic animals demonstrating geometry’s application in fields such as architecture, astronomy, cosmology, geography, and surveying.

Artist

Johann Sadeler I|Maerten de Vos

Date

ca. 1570–1600

Medium

Engraving and etching

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949