10

Vorsterman, Battle of the Amazons, after Rubens, 1623, Rijksmuseum

NARRATOR: The fierce female warriors known as the Amazons battle the Greeks in this violent scene.

NICO VAN HOUT: Now Rubens, what he tries to do here is to capture this sort of world of aggression of like a wild tornado.

NARRATOR: Rubens painted the original composition – but this print was made by an expert engraver, Lucas Vorsterman.

NICO VAN HOUT: Rubens was very interested in printmaking - it enabled him to reach a larger public than he would have reached by simply selling a one picture at a time. The print business was quite lucrative too.

NARRATOR: This is an unusually large engraving – you can probably see it’s made from six pieces, joined together.

NICO VAN HOUT: Monumental prints like this were definitely made for a larger public, for a public of rich citizens, but also for royalty.