Biography

Flemish engraver. By the time he was twenty-four, he had become a master in the Antwerp guild and was the primary artist responsible for making engravings after the work of Peter Paul Rubens. In fact, Pontius lived in Rubens's home until a year after the painter's death. Having trained as a painter prior to studying engraving, Pontius developed a style "that accurately conveys the nature of the original painting."

After Rubens's death, Pontius went on to make engravings after other artists, including Anthony van Dyck, Titian, and Velázquez. He also became very well known as a portrait engraver.