Allegorical Double Portrait of Bartholomaeus Spranger and His Wife, Christina Müller

In the early 17th century, Aegidius Sadeler, one of the greatest masters of Mannerist graphic art, was a court engraver to Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. The engraved epitaph of Christina, the wife of the painter Bartholomeus Spranger, is among the most famous prints of Rudolfine Mannerism. The engraving is not only a tribute to the deceased woman and a manifestation of her husband’s sorrow, but also an expression of reflections on the meaning of human existence and the purpose of artistic creativity. The image also documents the two artists’ friendship between Sadeler and Spranger and their and mutual admiration, formulated in the dedication. The right part of the composition features Christina, whose portrait mounted on the sarcophagus is guarded by the personification of Piety and the goddess Minerva symbolizing the virtues of the deceased woman. The allegorical scene on the opposite side demonstrates Spranger’s devotion to his wife and his awareness that his powers are futile with regard to death. He wishes to follow his wife, however his time has not yet come. It is his role to create more famous masterpieces that will outshine the transience of life.