How were the portraits in Anthony van Dyck’s Iconography reproduced and published?

Anthony van Dyck’s Iconography was an ambitious project intended to document the most famous figures of his day, including princes, soldiers, scholars, art patrons, and fellow artists, through a series of portraits.1

The reproduction and publication process involved the following methods:

• Creation: Van Dyck began the project by creating small monochrome portraits in oil and drawings in chalk. He personally etched at least 15 of these portraits.1
• Engraving: While Van Dyck etched a portion of the series himself, the remaining portraits were completed by professional engravers. In some instances, the plates were retouched or completely reworked by these engravers to finalize the images.12
• Publication: The complete series, which became popularly known as the Iconography, was first published in 1645–1646.1

Although Van Dyck initially envisioned a set of 100 portraits, he completed 18 of them himself. The project remains a significant example of his work in printmaking during the 17th century.2