Jacob Louys

Jacob Louys was a printmaker active in the first half of the 17th century, with his documented activity spanning the period 1610 to 1645. His body of work primarily consists of engraved and etched portraits, focusing on high-profile European royalty and nobility. No known paintings are attributed to him; his legacy rests exclusively on his graphic output.

Louys specialized in chronicling figures connected to the Hapsburg and Bourbon courts. His major subjects include the Spanish monarchs, represented by the Portrait of Philip IV, King of Spain and the Portrait of Elisabeth of Bourbon, Queen of Spain. Two related pieces, featuring the King and Queen, are identified as plates from the series Duces Burgundiae (Dukes of Burgundy). Louys also depicted French nobility, exemplified by the Portrait of Anne of Austria, Queen of France.

Six of Jacob Louys’s prints are currently represented in museum collections, confirming the historical significance of his printmaking practice. His work is held by major American institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. The preservation of these Jacob Louys prints in these collections helps contextualize 17th-century European portraiture and print commerce. As many of these images are now digitized and reside in the public domain, high-quality prints derived from his originals remain readily available for study.