Philibert Bouttats Jr.

Philibert Bouttats the Younger (c. 1650–c. 1722) was a Flemish engraver active in Antwerp and part of the renowned Bouttats family of artists, whose members were central to the city’s flourishing print trade in the 17th century. Trained within this family tradition, he developed a refined and precise engraving style, characterized by crisp linework and balanced compositions.

Bouttats specialized in portrait engraving and devotional imagery, producing numerous plates depicting European nobility, clergy, and scholars, as well as title pages and frontispieces for contemporary publications. His work reflects the technical excellence and visual elegance typical of late Flemish Baroque printmaking, bridging the expressive dynamism of the 17th century with the emerging restraint of early 18th-century design. Though often overshadowed by his relative Frederik Bouttats the Younger, Philibert’s engravings remain valued for their craftsmanship and their role in preserving the likenesses and iconography of Europe’s learned and religious elite.