How do artists ensure that their works will still be known in later centuries? How do they reach a public in distant places? In around 1600 the answer was: via prints. Through their exceptional works and marketing strategies in this medium, Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) earned international and lasting success.

Engravings are easy to reproduce and distribute, and so in around 1600 they became the perfect ambassadors for artists. With a selection of 140 brilliant engravings, this volume shows that Goltzius and Rubens were highly innovative and strategically astute in their use of this medium, seeking to beguile their audience, arouse desires and disseminate their own new artworks. In addition to their paintings, the engravings became sought-after collectors’ items which played a decisive part in the promotion of the careers of both artists.