Cartouche with Attributes of the Apostles - Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert

A detailed Baroque engraving by Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert, featuring an ornate cartouche surrounded by symbolic attributes of the apostles.

This engraving by Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert serves as the title page for the series 'SS. Apostolorum Icones', a collection of prints depicting the apostles, based on designs by Peter Paul Rubens. The composition centres on an ornate cartouche, which contains the Latin title and publication details. Surrounding this central frame is a dense arrangement of symbolic objects, each representing the martyrdom or specific identity of an apostle.

Bolswert demonstrates technical precision in his handling of the burin, creating varied textures across the disparate objects. A cross stands behind the cartouche, surmounted by a dove representing the Holy Spirit. Below this, a cherub head emerges from the frame. The surrounding attributes include keys, a saw, a spear, a sword, and various ropes, all rendered with a focus on material quality and shadow. The arrangement is typical of seventeenth-century Flemish printmaking, where the title page functioned as a visual summary of the contents within the volume.

The work reflects the collaborative nature of the Antwerp print trade during the Baroque period, where designers like Rubens provided the initial sketches, and skilled engravers like Bolswert translated these into copperplate prints for wider distribution. The composition balances the formal requirements of a title page with the decorative demands of the era, using the symbolic language of Christian iconography to prepare the viewer for the series of portraits that follow. The use of light and shadow gives the objects a sculptural presence, ensuring the title remains the primary focus while the surrounding elements provide context and narrative weight.