Plate 13: Two Male Nudes Lying on their Backs - Jan de Bisschop

An etching by Jan de Bisschop depicting two male nudes, based on a composition by Michelangelo.

This etching by Jan de Bisschop is part of his collection of prints reproducing classical and Renaissance sculpture. The work demonstrates his technical ability to translate the three-dimensional volume of marble into the two-dimensional medium of the etching plate. De Bisschop, a lawyer by profession and an amateur artist, produced these works to provide fellow artists and collectors with access to the great works of the Italian masters.

The composition features two muscular male figures in recumbent poses. The artist employs a system of hatching and cross-hatching to define the musculature and the play of light across the forms. The inscription M. Ang. Bon. pinx. indicates that the original source for this study is a work by Michelangelo Buonarroti. De Bisschop captures the tension and the anatomical precision associated with Michelangelo, focusing on the torsion of the torsos and the heavy, sculptural quality of the limbs. The figures appear to rest against a suggestion of drapery, which serves to ground them within the frame.

De Bisschop's approach to printmaking is characterised by a desire for clarity and fidelity to the original source material. He avoids excessive ornamentation, preferring to allow the strength of the underlying drawing to dictate the final image. The etching reflects the seventeenth-century interest in the study of classical antiquity and the Italian High Renaissance. By documenting these poses, de Bisschop provided a resource for contemporary artists to study anatomy and composition. This print remains a clear example of the Dutch tradition of reproducing masterworks for educational purposes, maintaining a focus on the structural integrity of the human form.