
Earth, plate one from The Four Elements
<p>This four-sheet series on the elements earth, air, fire, and water offers an updated view of the antique categories for understanding the natural world by demonstrating the types of nourishment the elements provide. <em>Earth</em> invokes cattle and plants, <em>Air</em> shows falcons ready to ensnare birds, <em>Water</em> displays the abundant fruits of the sea, and <em>Fire</em> shows cannon fire and also alludes to the power of heat for cooking. Jan van de Velde II copied several sets of designs after Willem Butewech, including four plates on the story of Jonah and costume imagery.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1622
- Dimensions
- Image: 17.3 × 27.9 cm (6 13/16 × 11 in.); Sheet: 19.4 × 29.3 cm (7 11/16 × 11 9/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Jan van de Velde, II
Artist

Printmaking
Jan van de Velde II (Dutch, c.1593-1641)
Full artist profile →More
More by Jan van de Velde, II
Canal with Bridge and Houses
1656 · Red chalk over traces of graphite, on ivory laid paper
Travellers in Front of the Minerva Medica Temple in Rome
1646 · Engraving on cream laid paper
Herd of Cattle at a Ford Near a Watermill
1646 · Engraving on cream laid paper
River Landscape
1646 · Engraving on cream laid paper
Dilapidated Hut, Plate 4 from Landscapes
1646 · Engraving in black on cream laid paper
An Inhabited Ruin on the Bank of a River
1630 · Pen and two shades of brown ink, brush and brown wash, over black chalk; framing lines in pen and brown ink, possibly by the artist
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Jan van de Velde, II
- Year
- 1622
- Dimensions
- Image: 17.3 × 27.9 cm (6 13/16 × 11 in.); Sheet: 19.4 × 29.3 cm (7 11/16 × 11 9/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1622-069158
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified





