A Life Etched in Line: Jan Sadeler I and the Flourishing of Engraving Jan Sadeler I, a pivotal figure in the late 16th-century Northern European printmaking landscape, embodies the dynamic spirit of an era defined by artistic innovation and religious upheaval. Born around 1550, likely in Brussels within the Spanish Netherlands, Sadeler’s life was one of constant movement, mirroring the turbulent times he inhabited. He emerged from a f…