In the 1600s, the city of Haarlem thrived, nurturing a vibrant and diverse artistic community. Among its most renowned figures was Cornelis Visscher, a celebrated portrait draftsman and printmaker known for his prolific output. Visscher's portraits were ambitious in scale, often executed on luxurious vellum with meticulous black chalk. This refined, polished style left a lasting impact on many of his Haarlem contemporaries, such as Dirk Helmbreker and Cornelis Bega.

 

Although Visscher's artistic career spanned only about a decade, he made a significant mark. Likely a pupil of Pieter Soutman—who himself studied under Rubens—Visscher began his career by creating several portrait engravings under Soutman's supervision in 1649. By the following year, Visscher struck out on his own, eventually joining Haarlem's Guild of St. Luke. Despite passing away in his early thirties, he left behind an impressive legacy, with nearly two hundred prints and numerous drawings. While his work primarily focused on portraits, Visscher's talent extended beyond this genre, as he also produced captivating animal studies, landscapes, and allegorical scenes, often drawing inspiration from his own designs or the works of other artists.

 

The present work depicts Philippus Rovenius (Filips van Rouveen; Deventer 1573 –  1651 Utrecht), who was the was apostolic vicar of the Dutch Mission from 1614 to 1651. Rovenius studied in Leuven, and was ordained priest in 1599. In 1602 he was made president of the Dutch priestly college in Cologne and in 1605 vicar general of the diocese of Deventer. In 1614 he succeeded  Sasbout Vosmeer as vicar apostolic. On 8 November 1620, in Brussels, he was consecrated titular archbishop of Philippi. He based himself in Oldenzaal, then Groenlo (where he witnessed the Siege of Groenlo in 1627 first hand) and finally Utrecht. In 1640 he was banned in Amsterdam. Rovenius succeeded in reorganising the Catholic Church in the Netherlands, trying to introduce the decisions of the Council of Trent. Although he had become friends with Jansenius in Leuven, he remained faithful to Rome in all things.

 

Rovenius' portrait was painted by Pieter de Grebber in 1631 (now in the collection of Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht). A print by Visscher (engraving and etching, ca. 1650) also depicts Rovenius, seated to right wearing a cardinal's outfit, with a table with religious paraphenalia to his right (see fig. 2). The present sheet, which is inverse to the print, is a preparatory drawing for the project, focusing on the face of the sitter (see fig. 1).