Sixteenth century graphic art from the Northern and Southern Netherlands is exceptionally well represented in the wide print collection of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum. This collection is characterized by the excellent quality of the prints, the diversity of techniques applied and the artists’ characteristic Renaissance choice of subjects.

The greater part of the museum’s collection of 16th century graphic art from the Northern and Southern Netherlands is based on the collections Dr A.J. Domela Nieuwenhuis and Dr J.C.J. Bierens de Haan. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum exhibits a selection of 5,400 prints by different famous and less famous artists, among whom Lucas van Leyden, Maerten van Heemskerck, members of the Galle and Sadeler families, Jan Saenredam, Dirck Volckertsz. Coornhert, Hendrick Goltzius and Claes Jansz. Visscher. The diversity of great masters, subjects and techniques represent a cross section of the collection, which give an overwhelming impression of the number and variety of prints produced in the Netherlands in the course of the 16th century. Although the collection focuses mainly on 16th century graphic art, it also features a small number of 17th century prints.