Events from the year 1612 in art.

Events

• (unknown)

Paintings

• Cornelis Engelsz – The St Adrian Civic Guard
• Artemisia Gentileschi - Judith Slaying Holofernes (first version (National Museum of Capodimonte, Naples); approximate date)
• Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger - Anne of Denmark in mourning (approximate date)
• Peter Paul Rubens
  • The Four Philosophers (1611-12)
  • The Massacre of the Innocents (first version; approximate date)
  • Saint Peter as Pope (1611-12)
• Joachim Wtewael - The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis

Births

• February 9 - Pier Francesco Mola, Italian painter of frescoes (died 1666)
• April 12 - Simone Cantarini, Italian painter and etcher of the Bolognese School of painting (died 1648)
• August 2 - Saskia van Uylenburgh, Dutch wife and model of Rembrandt (died 1642)
• December 2 (baptized) - David Ryckaert III, Flemish painter, member of the Ryckaert family of artists (died 1661)
• date unknown
  • Michel Anguier, French sculptor (died 1686)
  • Barent Avercamp, Dutch painter (died 1679)
  • Baldassare Bianchi, Italian painter (died 1679)
  • Abraham Bosschaert, member of the Bosschaert family of still life painters (died 1643)
  • Kun Can, Chinese painter from Hunan who spent most of his life in Nanjing (died 1674)
  • Francisco de Burgos Mantilla, Spanish painter (died 1672)
  • Francesco Francanzano, Italian painter who participated in the Masaniello rebellion (died 1657)
  • Frans Wouters, Flemish Baroque painter (died 1659)
  • Zhou Lianggong, Chinese bureaucrat, poet, essayist and art historian (died 1672), patron of many important Chinese painters
• probable
  • Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, Spanish Baroque portrait and landscape painter (died 1667)
  • Harmen Steenwijck, Dutch painter of still lifes, notably of fruit (died 1656)
  • Andries Both, Dutch genre painter (died 1642)

Deaths

• March - Philip Galle, publisher of old master prints (born 1537)
• May 31 - Willem Isaacsz Swanenburg, Dutch engraver (born 1580)
• August 17 - Alexander Colyn, Flemish sculptor (born 1527/1529)
• October 4 - Cesare Aretusi, Italian painter primarily of portraits (born 1580)
• October 10 - Bernardino Poccetti, Italian Mannerist painter (born 1548)
• date unknown
  • Federico Barocci, Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker (born 1526)
  • Giovanni Bizzelli, Italian painter (born 1556)
  • Francesco Cavazzoni, Italian painter and art historian (born 1559)
  • Pieter Claeissens the Younger, Flemish painter (date of birth unknown)
  • Nicolas Cordier, French sculptor, painter and printmaker (born 1567)
  • Dominicus Custos, Flemish printer and copperplate engraver (born 1560)
  • Aert Pietersz, Dutch painter (born 1550)
  • Giovanni Battista Trotti, Italian painter active mainly in his native city of Cremona (born 1555)