Events from the year 1597 in art.

• Caravaggio, Penitent Magdalene
• Caravaggio, Rest on the Flight into Egypt
• Caravaggio, Medusa
• Caravaggio, Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto
• Dong Qichang, Wanluan Thatched Hall

• Federico Barocci - Nativity (Museo del Prado)
• Caravaggio
  • Penitent Magdalene
  • Rest on the Flight into Egypt
  • Medusa (second version)
  • Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto (Villa Ludovisi, Rome)
• Dong Qichang - Wanluan Thatched Hall
• Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in Garter robes (approximate date)
• El Greco - The Saint Joseph and the Christ Child (including a view of Toledo, Spain)
• Christ Pantocrator together with the twelve apostles, above the entrance gate of the Holy Virgin main church in the Rohzen Monastery, Bulgaria

• February 2 - Jacob van Campen, Dutch artist and architect of the Golden Age (died 1657)
• March 10 - Ercole Gennari, Italian Renaissance drawer and painter (died 1658)
• June 9 - Pieter Jansz Saenredam, Dutch painter of structures, architectural portraitist (died 1665)
• July 2 - Theodoor Rombouts, Flemish painter (died 1637)
• September 28 - Justus Sustermans, Flemish painter in the Baroque style (died 1681)
• date unknown
  • Claude Audran the Elder, French engraver (died 1677)
  • Orfeo Boselli, Italian sculptor working in Rome (died 1667)
  • Salomon de Bray (or Braij), Dutch painter (died 1664)
  • Pedro de Obregón, Spanish painter and printmaker (died 1659)
  • Henricus Hondius II, Dutch engraver, cartographer and publisher (died 1651)
  • Juan Ribalta, Spanish painter (died 1628)
  • Xiang Shengmo, Chinese painter in the Qing Dynasty (died 1658)
• probable
  • Jan van Bijlert, Dutch painter, co-founder of the Bentvueghels (died 1671)
  • Pieter Claesz, Dutch still life painter (died 1660)
  • Giacomo di Castro, Italian painter (died 1687)
  • Ludovico Lana, Italian painter, mainly active in Modena (died 1646)
  • Johann Liss, German-born painter (died c. 1631)

• February 2 - Lucas van Valckenborch, Flemish landscape painter (b. c.1535)
• September 28 - Hendrick van den Broeck, Flemish painter active mainly in Rome (born 1519)
• date unknown
  • Giovanni Battista de'Cavalieri, Italian engraver (born 1526)
  • Prospero Fontana, Italian painter of the late Renaissance (born 1512)
  • Francesco Morandini, Italian painter active in Florence (born 1544)
  • Willem Thibaut, Dutch Golden Age painter (born 1524)