Temperance - Jacob Matham

A fine engraving by Jacob Matham depicting the allegorical figure of Temperance, rendered with the technical precision characteristic of the Dutch Mannerist school.

This engraving by Jacob Matham depicts the personification of Temperance, a traditional virtue represented here through the controlled dilution of wine with water. The figure stands in a contrapposto pose, draped in voluminous, heavy fabric that demonstrates the artist's technical command of line and shadow. The composition follows the conventions of late sixteenth-century Dutch Mannerism, where the human form is elongated and the drapery is rendered with a sense of artificial, rhythmic movement.

Matham, a pupil and stepson of Hendrick Goltzius, was a prolific printmaker in Haarlem. His work often focused on allegorical subjects, which were popular among the educated elite of the period. The figure holds a pitcher in her raised right hand, pouring a stream of liquid into a chalice held in her left. This action serves as a visual metaphor for moderation and self-restraint. The background features a distant, atmospheric view of a river valley with architectural elements, providing a sense of scale and depth that contrasts with the monumental presence of the central figure.

The Latin inscription at the base, 'Temperies rerum, Veneris, Bacchiq, cibiq, Arx vita, et columen mentis, ego vna vocor', translates to a declaration of her role as the moderator of love, wine, and food, and the guardian of the mind. The engraving technique employs a variety of hatching and cross-hatching patterns to define the contours of the body and the folds of the garments. This print is an example of the sophisticated graphic output produced by the Haarlem school, which prioritised technical virtuosity and classical iconography. The paper shows the natural ageing expected of a work from this period, with the ink lines retaining their clarity and precision.