Crossing the Alps: Artistic Exchange and the Printed Image in Renaissance Europe

This focused exhibition displays 15 works by Flemish, Dutch, German, and Italian artists from The Huntington's collections.
Egidius Sadeler II, after Bartholomeus Spranger, Triumph of Wisdom over Ignorance, ca.1600. Engraving, 20 1/16 × 14 1/4 in. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Egidius Sadeler II, after Bartholomeus Spranger, Triumph of Wisdom over Ignorance, ca.1600. Engraving, 20 1/16 × 14 1/4 in. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Lucas van Leyden, Baptism of Christ, 1510, Engraving, 5 11/16 × 7 5/16 in. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Lucas van Leyden, Baptism of Christ, 1510, Engraving, 5 11/16 × 7 5/16 in. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

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Presented concurrently with “Face to Face: Flanders, Florence, and Renaissance Painting” this focused exhibition displays 15 works by Flemish, Dutch, German, and Italian artists from The Huntington’s collections. Artists include Albrecht Dürer (1471—1528), Marcantonio Raimondi (ca.1480—ca.1534), and Lucas van Leyden (1494—1533), who made and disseminated prints after, or were inspired by, works of art produced in other countries.

Reproductive, inexpensive, and portable, printed images have been agents of artistic exchange in the West since the late 15th century, when the development of new and efficient printing techniques began to provide artists with a larger array of images than ever before. In addition to individual prints, the exhibition will feature illustrated printed books from The Huntington’s Library holdings. Like prints, these books were easy to transport, which helped transfer knowledge and new ideas to an international audience.