William Rogers (born c. 1545, active c. 1589–1604) was an English engraver. A Citizen of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

– one of his surviving engravings is signed ''Anglus et Civis Lond(oniensis).'' – he is the first English craftsman known to have practised

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...

and the greatest portrait engraver of the

Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in History of England, England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in Englan ...

. The English were extremely late in coming to

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...

, though several artists from the thriving Flemish industry had worked in England already; the engraved print had been invented over 150 years before Rogers began to produce them. Rogers was also a

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

, and presumably acquired his technique in that context. His portrait style reflects Flemish models, while his backgrounds are often "overloaded with ornament" that is "redolent of the goldsmith's shop". Rogers is known for his engraved portraits of Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

, which are very scarce. ''Eliza Triumphans'' (1589), celebrating the defeat of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

in 1588, shows Elizabeth surrounded by the

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

symbols of empire common to her portraiture at this time. ''Queen Elizabeth Standing in a Room with a Lattice Window'', one of the best-known Tudor engravings, is based on a drawing of the queen by the

miniaturist A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

Isaac Oliver Isaac Oliver (c. 1565 – bur. 2 October 1617) or Olivier was an English portrait miniature painter.Baskett, John. ''Paul Mellon's legacy: a passion for British art'' (Yale University Press, 2007) pp. 240-1. Life and work Born in Rouen, he ...

; the densely ornamented setting is probably the invention of Rogers. ''Elizabeth I as Rosa Electa'', of which the two surviving impressions are in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, is undated but can be assigned to the later years of Elizabeth's reign by the style of the costume. The portrait depicts the Queen surrounded by roses, symbolising the Tudor union of the houses of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and Lancaster. Rogers also engraved a version of the large allegorical picture of Henry VIII and his family attributed to

Lucas de Heere Lucas de Heere (1534 – 29 August 1584) was a Flemish painter, poet and writer. His costume books and portraits are a valuable resource in depicting 16th-century clothing. Biography Lucas de Heere, a Protestant, was born in Ghent, the ...

, now at

Sudeley Castle Sudeley Castle is a Grade I listed castle in the parish of Sudeley, in the Cotswolds, near to the medieval market town of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. The castle has 10 notable gardens covering some 15 acres within a 1,200-acre estate ...

. Rogers' print, of which only three impressions are known, shows Elizabeth in the updated fashions of the 1590s and adds verses at the bottom making explicit the contrast between

Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

's marriage and its accompanying war on the left, and Elizabeth's virginity accompanied by Peace and Plenty on the right.* Rogers engraved numerous portraits, title-pages, and illustrations for books, among these being the titles to

Jan Huyghen van Linschoten Jan Huygen van Linschoten (1563 – 8 February 1611) was a Dutch merchant, trader and historian. He travelled extensively along the East Indies regions under Portuguese influence and served as the archbishop's secretary in Goa between 1583 ...

's ''Discours of Voyages into ye Easte and West Indies,'' 1596, and to Sir John Harington's translation of

Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...

's ''

Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...

'' (1591); the author portrait and title for

John Gerard John Gerard (also John Gerarde, c. 1545–1612) was an English herbalist with a large garden in Holborn, now part of London. His 1,484-page illustrated ''Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes'', first published in 1597, became a popular gard ...

's ''The Herball, or a Generall Historie of Plantes'' (1597); the cuts in Broughton's ''Concert of Scripture'' (1596); and the portraits in

William Segar Sir William Segar (c. 1554–1633) was a portrait painter and officer of arms to the court of Elizabeth I of England; he became Garter King of Arms under James I. Like other artists of the Tudor court, Segar was active in more than one medium, ...

's ''Honor, Military and Civile'' (1602) and Milles's ''Catalogue of Honour, or Treasury of True Nobility'' (1610). Rogers' work shows him to have been a trained artist in the art of engraving. He is mentioned by

Francis Meres Francis Meres (1565/1566 – 29 January 1647) was an English churchman and author. His 1598 commonplace book includes the first critical account of poems and plays by Shakespeare. Career Francis Meres was born in 1565 at Kirton Meres in the par ...

in his ''

Palladis Tamia ''Palladis Tamia: Wits Treasury; Being the Second Part of Wits Commonwealth'' is a 1598 book written by the minister Francis Meres. It is important in English literary history as the first critical account of the poems and early plays of William ...

'' (1598): "As Lysippus, Praxiteles, and Pyrgoteles were excellent engravers, so have we these engravers: Rogers, Christopher Switzer, and Cure."

Gallery

File:Eliza Triumphans William Rogers 1589.png, ''Eliza Triumphans'' (1589),

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

File:William Rogers Elizabeth I Rosa Electa.jpg, ''Elizabeth I as Rosa Electa'',

File:William Rogers Family of Henry VIII.jpg, ''The Family of Henry VIII'' (c. 1597) File:Iohn Huighen van Linschoten, his Discours of Voyages into ye Easte & West Indies title page.jpg, ''Iohn Huighen van Linschoten, his Discours of Voyages into ye Easte & West Indies'',

title page The title page of a book, thesis or other written work is the page at or near the front which displays its title (publishing), title, subtitle, author, publisher, and edition, often artistically decorated. (A half title, by contrast, displays onl ...

engraved by Rogers, (1598)

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library () is the rare book library and literary archive of the Yale University Library in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the largest buildings in the world dedicated to rare books and manuscripts. Es ...

File:The discription of the Islandes and Castle of Mozambique by William Rogers 1598.jpg, ''The discription of the Islandes and Castle of Mozambique'' (1598),

File:Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex by William Rogers.jpg, ''Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex'' (1598–1600),

File:George_Clifford,_3rd_Earl_of_Cumberland_by_William_Rogers.jpg, ''George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland'' (1595–1600),

File:Thomas Docwra by William Rogers.jpg, ''

Thomas Docwra Sir Thomas Docwra (1458? – 1527) was Grand Prior of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in England, and thus ranked as Premier Lay Baron of England. Origins He was a member of the Docwra family of Hertfordshire, a ...

'',

Grand Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be low ...

of the English

Knights Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

, (1595-1602) File:Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham by William Rogers.jpg, ''

Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham, KG (1536 – 14 December 1624), known as Lord Howard of Effingham, was an English statesman and Lord High Admiral under Elizabeth I and James I. He was commander of the Eng ...

'', (1595-1602) File:Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy by William Rogers.jpg, ''

Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy Emmanuel Philibert ( it, Emanuele Filiberto; pms, Emanuel Filibert; 8 July 1528 – 30 August 1580), known as ( pms, Testa 'd fer, links=no; "Ironhead", because of his military career), was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580. He is remembered fo ...

'', (1595-1602) File:Henricus Borbonius 4 Rex Franciæ et Navarræ Ordin. S. Spiritus Eques Supremus by William Rogers.jpg, ''Henricus Borbonius 4 Rex Franciæ et Navarræ Ordin. S. Spiritus Eques Supremus'' (1602),

File:The coats of arms of sixty-eight kingdoms, cities and towns around the world by William Rogers 1603.jpg, ''The coats of arms of sixty-eight kingdoms, cities and towns around the world'' (after 1603),

References

Attribution: *

External links

Works by William Rogers in the National Portrait Gallery, London

British Museum collection database
search for William Rogers ''without quotes'', using a date range, and ticking "production information" – 32 images. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, William English engravers English goldsmiths 16th-century English people