Jan Baptist Barbé

Jan Baptist Barbé or Jan-Baptist Barbé (referred to as Jean-Baptiste Barbé in French language sources) (1578–1649) was a Flemish engraver, publisher and art dealer active in Antwerp. He is known for his engravings after his own designs as well as for his reproductive engravings. In 1595 he entered the studio of Philippe Galle.

Not satisfied with what he could learn from famous artists from his time working in Antwerp, Barbé travelled to Italy to perfect his art. During his stay in Italy which likely commenced in 1606, he was in contact with Rubens and commenced to make reproductive engravings after Rubens' works. Upon his return from Italy he became in 1610 a master of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke. In 1635 Barbé went even further in order to lay his hands on some copper plates from members of the Wiericx family. His sister-in-law Cecilia Wiericx (born in 1592) had moved in with Barbé and his wife Christien in 1620. She had brought with her some furniture and many precious copper plates, which she had handed to Barbé. They wanted to use the plates to make prints, with the goal of selling them for export. After some time Cecilia wanted to make a final balance of the sales and have the profits distributed, Barbé did not hesitate to have his sister-in-law Cecilia declared insane in order to put her property under legal detention.

Anthony van Dyck painted a portrait of the artist, which was engraved by Bolswert and included in van Dyck's "Iconography" (Icones Principum Virorum), a collection of portraits of leading personalities of van Dyck's time.

Barbé died in Antwerp in 1649.

Barbé had a close relationship with Rubens whose works he had already started to engrave when both artists were residing in Italy. Upon his return to Antwerp, he continued to engrave many works after Rubens. He is generally presumed to be the engraver (although some sources mention Cornelis Galle the Elder as the engraver) of the prints in the Vita beati P. Ignatii Loiolae, Societatis Iesu fundatoris published in 1609 in Rome on the occasion of the beatification of the Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order.The work contain 87 copperplate engravings (plus the title page and frontispiece) recounting major events and teachings in the life of Loyola. The designs for the work have traditionally been attributed to Rubens who had a special relationship with the Jesuit Order throughout his career. It is now believed that some of the prints directly go back on designs by Rubens, others had some involvement of Rubens and others not. After the canonisation of Loyola in 1622 a second edition was produced to which was added a print, which had been prepared for the first edition but was not used, representing the canonisation. This work represents the largest illustrated life of the saint.

Barbé published a number of devotional books such as the SS. Apostolorum et Evangelistarum Icones cum suis parergis ('Images of the Apostles and Evangelists with their frames') dated 1620. The designs were made by Theodoor van Loon. The work contains bust-length portraits of the Holy Family, the four evangelists and the 12 apostles. Each portrait is set in a sculptural frame, as is referred to in the title of the work. The Holy Family, with the Infant Jesus embracing St Joseph; after Rubens. The Virgin seated on a Throne, holding the Infant, with a Bird; after Frans Francken the Younger.