Hendrick Goltzius’ engraving, “St Andrew", 1589

Hendrick Goltzius (aka Hendrik Goltzius) (1558–1617)

”St Andrew", 1589, plate 2 from the series of fourteen small engravings: “Christ, The Twelve Apostles and St. Paul.”

Engraving on fine laid paper lined onto a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 14.5 x 10.3 cm; (image borderline) 12.2 x 10 cm

Inscribed al lower left within the image borderline with the artist’s monogram of entwined initials: “HG.”

Numbered below the image borderline at centre: “II.”

Lettered in three lines of Latin below the image borderline: "Et in Iesvm Chrtvm / filivm eivs vnicvm, Domin- / vm nostrum"

State iii (of vi). Note state iii has an inscribed “second” number at the lower left corner. This print is trimmed within the platemark at the lower edge and thus the critical feature is missing that would help to certify that it is from state iii. Nevertheless, this impression is not from states i or ii as these earlier states differ in the lettered text—state i has no text and state ii is not inscribed with the number “II”—nor is the impression from states iv, v and vi as TIB (supplement) advises somewhat curiously that “no impression is found to correspond” with state iv and states v and vi show variations to publication details concerning “F. de Wit.”

The British Museum offers the following description of this print from the third state:

“Plate 2: St Andrew. Half-length, heavily bearded and resting his hand on a book, a crucifix at left; third state with double numbers. 1589” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3036306&partId=1&searchText=goltzius+Andrew&page=1)

TIB 3 (3). 45 (24) (Walter L Strauss 1980, "The Illustrated Bartsch", vol. 3, p.51); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 22 (Hendrick Goltzius) Bartsch III.24.45; Hirschmann 1921 36 (Otto Hirschmann 1921, “Hendrik Goltzius, Verzeichnis des graphischen Werkes”, Leipzig); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 36 (Hendrick Goltzius) (F W H Hollstein 1993, “The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts 1450-1700”, Amsterdam)

Condition: marvellously crisp and well-printed impression trimmed along the platemark on the top and sides and slightly within the platemark at the lower edge. The sheet has closed tears at the upper and lower edges and has been laid upon a support sheet of fine washi paper.

I am selling this rare and exceptional engraving by the legendary Goltzius for the total cost of AU$366 (currently US$284.76/EUR241.42/GBP215.90 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this superb print exemplifying the sublime skills and mannerist leanings of Goltzius, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Rather than discussing the importance of Goltzius’ contribution to the art of engraving in terms of his famous “dot and lozenge” technique for rendering gradations of tone and his amazing use of swelling line to describe a subject’s contours, I thought I would address a very different topic: Goltzius’ use of body language.

When I look at the way that St Andrew rests his index finger on his head I recall reading that this gesture signifies (at a subliminal level) that the subject is in deep thought. The finger position resting on the head however needs to be pointing towards the brain for such a meaning to be understood unambiguously. I mention the finger’s position because meanings change as the finger progresses in its position down the side of the face to finally signify absolute disinterest when the finger rests on the chin.

I also wish to draw attention to how Goltzius has used St Andrew’s left arm as if it were a shield to protect the saint from the outside world. I may be wrong in my interpretation of the saint’s body language in terms of the arm keeping the world away from him but when seen in context with the way that St Andrew seems to be burying his head into his beard I see a body language of interpersonal barriers being erected.

At this point I should mention how the portrayed body language works in context with the St Andrew’s cross in the sense of real and psychological barriers but I will hold myself back from going further in case I am alone in my reading of this image.

Hendrik Goltzius’ engraving, “The Flagellation”, 1597

Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617)

The Flagellation”, 1597, plate 6 from the series, “The Passion”, consisting of 12 plates executed between 1596 and 1598 (BM nos. 1856,0614.55-66). There is a preparatory drawing for this print in the Museum für Bildende Kunst in Leipzig (Reznicek 36). Interestingly, Walter L Strauss (1980) in TIB vol. 3 (commentary), advises that some of the preparatory drawings for this series “were corrected by means of bits of paper pasted on them on which the position of some figures were altered” (p. 33; see also Reznicek 1961, pp. 8, 250).

Engraving on fine laid paper trimmed along the platemark and lined onto a conservator’s support sheet.

Size (sheet) 19.7 x 12.8 cm

Inscribed at lower left with plate number, "6”, and the artist’s monogram and date: “A.o 97 / HG".

Note: there are many deceptive copies of this print. When I compared the print reproduced in TIB, vol 3, p. 39 with the “genuine” Goltzius in the BM, for example, I see a difference between the images in terms of the treatment of the hatched shadow on the side of the building at upper right: the BM’s copy is comparatively crude in the linework whereas the copy in TIB is closer to the print I am listing. The size of the listed print also matches the copy in TIB. This is helpful in determining the genuine Goltzius as Strauss (1980) advises that most famous deceptive copy by Abraham Hogenberg is “somewhat reduced in size.” Close comparison of the copy shown in TIB, however, shows that the “7” in the date is slightly lower in the listed print and I also see discrepancies with the form of the inscribed plate number, “6.”

TIB 3 (3). 32 (20) (Walter L Strauss 1980, "The Illustrated Bartsch", vol. 3, p. 39); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 22 (Hendrick Goltzius); Hirschmann 1921 26; Hollstein 26.I; Strauss 1977 339; Bartsch III.20.32

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Plate 6: The Flagellation; Christ is bound to a column and whipped by two men; the figure on the left has a leather whip with barbs while the figure on the right, seen from behind, has a birch; at far left a man holds a torch and in the foreground a third man binds a pile of sticks. 1597” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1470053&partId=1&searchText=1856,0614.56.&page=1)

Condition: richly inked, museum-quality impression trimmed at the platemark. There is a loss of the upper left corner but this has been replenished, otherwise the print is in superb condition. The sheet has been laid upon a conservator’s support sheet of millennium quality washi paper

I am selling this very beautiful engraving that is either a genuine Goltzius or a remarkably fine deceptive copy for the total cost of AU$440 (currently US$342.39/EUR291.82/GBP262.06 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this sublime late Renaissance print, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Walter L Strauss (editor of the commentary volume for vol. 3 in the catalogué raisonne for Golzius in the series, “The Illustrated Bartsch”, 1980) offers the following interesting insight about the twelve-plate series, “The Passion”, of which this engraving is the sixth plate:

“All twelve sheets are engraved in the manner of Lucas van Leyden, yet compositionally this does not invariably hold true. Some sheets bear a close resemblance to portions of Dürer’s Passion … even though some of the heads seem to be based on Lucas van Leyden’s … [design]. The series served as a model for plates produce by Delft fayence manufacturers, as well as for an altarpiece at Rügenwade.” (p. 33)

Regarding the deceptive copies of this important print by Goltzius, Strauss (1980) lists seven known copies. None of the descriptions of the copies match this print. Nevertheless, I have personal reservations about this particular impression and the print held by the BM (see my earlier comment) regarding whether they are original Goltzius prints.

Hendrik Goltzius’ engraving, “Christ before Caiaphas”, 1597

Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617)

“Christ before Caiaphas”, 1597, plate 4 from the series, “The Passion”, consisting of 12 plates executed between 1596 and 1598. The curator of the BM advises that there is a preparatory drawing for this print in Leipzig (Reznicek 36).

Engraving on fine laid paper with small margins.

Size (sheet) 22.5 x 15.5 cm; (plate) 20.2 x 13.5 cm; (image borderline) 19.7 x 13 cm

Lettered with monogram and date in lower right: "A.o 97 / HG". Numbered in lower left: “4”

TIB 1980 3(3).30 (20) p. 37; New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 20 (Hendrick Goltzius); Hirschmann 1921 24; Hollstein 24.I; Strauss 1977 343; Bartsch III.20.30

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Plate 4: Christ before Caiaphas; a serene Christ stands before the high priest, standing at left, between two torch-bearers; in the distance are the towers of buildings and a starry night sky. 1597 Engraving” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1470063&partId=1&searchText=Christ+before+Caiaphas+&page=1)

Condition: crisp, slightly silvery impression with small margins varying in size but approximately 1 cm. There are almost invisible restorations of minor abrasions, otherwise the print is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, stains or foxing).

I am selling this original engraving by Goltzius for the total cost of AU$440 (currently US$350.43/EUR296.03/GBP264.70 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing rare print from 1597 by one of the most famous printmakers of that time, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Walter L Strauss (editor of the commentary volume in the catalogué raisonne for Golzius in the series, “The Illustrated Bartsch”, 1980) draws attention to a few details in this print that my eye missed when I first studied it and hopefully will be of interest to other viewers. One feature that my eye had simply passed over is the lantern “held over Christ’s head” (p. 37). This detail failed to attract my eye as I must have mistakenly perceived it as being a window in the distant wall rather than the lantern that it clearly is. Another detail—and one which I feel justified in not seeing at all as it is so tiny and so faintly engraved is the cock “who will crow after Peter’s third denial … pictured on the threshold” (ibid). This rooster, inscribed in a very schematic way, can be seen immediately below the helmeted soldier’s right hand.

Beyond pointing out these details, Strauss (1980) also offers the following interesting insight:

“The style of this sheet is patterned on that of Lucas van Leyden, although this scene is absent for Lucas’s Passion series” (ibid).

Engraving from the workshop of Goltzius, “Battus Changed into Stone”, 1590

Workshop of Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617)

“Battus Changed into Stone”, 1590, plate 36 from the series of fifty-two prints of “Metamorphoses Book II”, published by Claes Jansz. Visscher (1587–1652). 

The curator of the British Museum offers the following insight into this series advising that they were "originally published in three sets (of respectively twenty, twenty and twelve plates), each separately numbered and later numbered consecutively (which explains the double numbering on the plates). The first two sets (i.e. forty plates) were designed by Goltzius around 1589 and the third set around 1615. The plates were engraved in the workshop of Goltzius, possibly by Jacob Matham, Jan Saenredam, Jan Muller, Jacob de Gheyn II and Pieter de Jode.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3058683&partId=1&searchText=1947,0412.3.1.&page=1). 

Engraving with light plate tone on fine laid paper with full margins (as published).

Size: (sheet) 23.2 x 34.6 cm; (plate) 17.4 x 25.4 cm; (image borderline) 16.4 x 25.2 cm

Lettered in lower margin with four lines of Latin in two columns by Estius: "Septenis Phoebo inflatur ... / ... ille repente lapis." Numbered twice in lower corners: "16" and "36".

TIB 3(3).66(107) (Walter L Strauss [Ed.] 1980, “The Illustrated Bartsch”, vol. 3, p. 330); Bartsch III.107.16; Hollstein 10-61; 508-559 (after Goltzius); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 552-571 (Hendrick Goltzius; Prints after inventions by Goltzius)

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Plate 36; Landscape with Apollo playing the panpipes in left foreground, Mercury as a shepherd talking to Battus who slowly turns into a stone; after Hendrik Goltzius” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3165363&partId=1&searchText=Metamorphoses+36&page=1)

Condition: excellent slightly silvery impression with full margins as published in near faultless condition for its age (i.e. there are no stains, foxing, tears, holes, folds or abrasions and age toning is minimal).

I am selling this superb engraving of executed with great sensitivity from the workshop of one of the most famous printmakers from the Renaissance period for AU$324 (currently US$244.12/EUR217.83/GBP192.20 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this masterwork of engraving, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Like all good legends, the story portrayed here has people that turn into stone. The seated old man in the middle-distance is Battus, a chap who was in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Unfortunately for him, Battus is the character in the story that ends up turning into stone—a slow metamorphosis represented by the blurriness in the treatment of his features. Standing beside Battus, and the cause of his morphing into rock, is the legendary wing-footed mythological figure, Mercury, portrayed here in disguise. Mercury’s reason to be in disguise is that he needed to “bait” Battus with the bribe of receiving a big fat heifer to see if Battus would keep his word that he would tell no one about seeing Mercury stealing cattle from the god, Apollo, shown lolling in the foreground while playing on his pan-flute. Sadly, Battus succumbs to the bribe and his punishment is to be transformed into a rock; albeit a rather soft transition into rock while listening to lilting music played by Apollo—the pan-flute soundtrack to the movie “Picnic at Hanging Rock.”

This print has been sold

Jacob Matham’s engraving after Goltzius, "Sloth", 1593

Jacob Matham (15719–1631)

“Sloth” (La Paresse), 1593, after Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617) from the series “The Virtues and the Seven Deadly Sins” / “The Vices”

Engraving on laid paper with margins lined onto a conservator’s support sheet

Size: (sheet) 39.2 x 22.1 cm; (plate) 32.5 x 17 cm

Lettered in lower right corner "HG. Inue." and numbered in lower left corner "7". With two lines in the margin "Excecat .... moratur." by "F.E." (Franco Estius).

New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 156 (Jacob Matham) (F W H Hollstein 1993, The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts 1450–1700, Amsterdam); Hollstein 283 (F W H Hollstein 1949, “Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts c.1450–1700”, Amsterdam); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 498-504 (Hendrick Goltzius; Prints after inventions by Goltzius); Bartsch III.165.138 (Adam Bartsch 1803, “Le Peintre graveur”, 21 vols, Vienna); TIB 4 (3).138 (165) (Walter L Strauss 1980, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists”, vol. 4 [formerly vol. 3 (Part 2)]. p.127)

See also Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.382353

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Sloth; a female figure, whole-length, with a snail on her shoulder, in a niche. 1593 Engraving”

(http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1480380&partId=1&searchText=matham+sloth&page=1)

The curator of the BM also gives the following information about the series:

“This is one from a series of seven numbered plates by Jacob Matham (New Hollstein 150-156) after Goltzius …. The set was first published by Goltzius in Haarlem; then by Claes Jansz Visscher in Amsterdam (before 1652); and finally by Jochem Ottens. Seven preparatory drawings by Goltzius are in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, inv.nos.Dr.975.2-8 (Reznicek 89-95). (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1480416&partId=1&searchText=1857,0613.510&page=1)

Condition: crisp, richly inked impression laid upon a conservator’s support sheet. There is a flatten crease in the margin at top right, a small wormhole (on the far right) and slight age toning and minor marks at the lower edge of the sheet otherwise the print is in excellent condition for its age.

I am selling this marvellous impression of a very important print by Matham after Goltzius (Matham’s stepfather) for the total cost of AU$390 (currently US$298.52/EUR276.63/GBP139.89 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this female personification of sloth with a snail on her shoulder in a niche, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

This evening I asked my cook whether the abstract notion of sloth would be explained well if an illustrator were to show a bare-breasted woman set in a niche with a snail crawling down her shoulder. My cook—who knows everything—looked me in the eye and said slowly and with absolute certainty: “…it’s just not nice.” I guess that the audience that Matham was addressing with this engraving way back in the 16^th century held very different ideas.

Leaving aside my cook’s insightful and persuasive argument against showing women in ways that are simply “not nice,” I am fascinated by how this image is constructed. For instance, if I start at the top of this personification of laziness I find myself looking at her from a slightly elevated—perhaps even god-like—position as I can see the very top of her head and gaze down her features to her breasts. Once I have lowered my gaze to her chest, my position from which I look at her changes as well. I am now at her thighs looking slightly up at her hands. My position of looking at her again slips further down until I reach the ground and from this position of a worm I look upwards. These changes of viewpoint are amazing and no doubt they also signify meanings about sloth that I am yet to fully digest.

Note also how the figure is arranged so that this epitome of sloth is set away from the viewer in what might be described as the socially removed “public space” of her architectural niche. Counteracting this spatial and social distance, is the very subtle use of the projecting toes of her right foot that extend beyond the niche into the viewer’s “private space.”

In short, the symbolism of this figure with its slowly moving snail has a complex layering of meanings that are worth taking the time to contemplate … but I will leave that task to others with a better understanding of laziness.

Goltzius’ engraving, “The Agony in the Garden”, 1597

Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617)

“The Agony in the Garden”, 1597, from the series, “The Passion”

Engraving on fine laid paper trimmed at the platemark and lined onto a conservator’s support sheet.

Size (sheet) 20.2 x 13.6 cm

Lettered with monogram and dated in lower left: "A.o 97 / HG". Numbered in lower left: “2.”

New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 18 (Hendrick Goltzius); Hirschmann 1921 22; Hollstein 22.I; Strauss 1977 342; Bartsch III.20.28; TIB 3(3).28 (20) p. 35.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Plate 2: Christ praying on the Mount of Olives at Gethsemane; an angel appears to Christ and addresses Him; in the foreground three of Christ's apostles are huddled together and fast asleep; beyond a contingent of soldiers emerge from a gateway at right. 1597 Engraving” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1470082&partId=1&searchText=goltzius+passion&page=1)

The curator of the BM advises that there is a preparatory drawing for this print in Leipzig (Reznicek 34)

See also the copy of this print at the British Museum by Abraham Hogenberg (fl.1590–1656). Close comparison of this print with the copy and the original Goltzius held by the BM confirms that impression is from the hand of Goltzius.

Condition: crisp silvery impression with the lower right corner restored and a tear at the middle right side (now supported by the conservator’s sheet of fine washi paper upon which the whole print is laid). There is also minor areas discolouration towards the lower left corner.

I am selling this original engraving by Goltzius for the total cost of AU$440 (currently US$337.03/EUR312/GBP270.20 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing rare print from 1597 by one of the most famous printmakers of that time, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

In an earlier post also featuring a print by Goltzius—or more correctly, a print reproducing a Goltzius’ engraving by an unidentified printmaker—I lightly touched upon the mercurial element that distinguishes a copy from an original print. In this earlier post, I used the word, “life”, to describe this difficult to define element. What I meant by this vague term is the notion of “life” being an approximation for the visual expression of an artist’s spirit and personal vision embodied in the nuanced phrasing of each line (i.e. transitional changes in the thickness and shape of the line) and treatment of the portrayed subject.

In this original print by the hand of Goltzius, for instance, note how Goltzius portrays the sleeping figures (Jesus’ disciples) as if they are genuinely asleep as opposed to perfunctorily drawn models arranged to give the appearance that they are asleep. This projection of authenticity is not something that is simply about portraying the figures with their eyes shut. Rather, it’s about the way in which each mark is inscribed and the accumulative effect of line, tone and organisation that come together to express the notion of sleep. Note, for instance, the void of darkness surrounding the heads of the two further away disciples and the spiralling rhythms in figures’ poses that connote the state of sleep.

Unidentified engraver after Goltzius’ “Christ before Pilate”, 1596

Unidentified engraver after Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617)

“Christ before Pilate”, 1596, from the series, “The Passion.”

Note: there are numerous copies of Goltzius’ prints made by his contemporaries. Some are in reverse (which this is not) and others are so well crafted that they are almost identical to the original and were published in Johannes Baptist Mayr’s “Hebdomada Sancta Viro Dolorum, et scienti infirmitatem...consecrata. Animae Poenitenti, devotae, amanti consideranda proposita,” Salzburg, 1677. My concern with this impression is that it does not have Goltzius’ monogram and I can see barely discernible initials at the lower right corner. Mindful of these issues, I believe that this impression is likely to be one of the excellent copies. (See an example of one of these copies made by Abraham Hogenberg [fl.1590–1656] held by the British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3238392&partId=1&searchText=goltzius&page=1)

Engraving on fine laid paper, trimmed to the image borderline.

Size: (sheet) 19.6 x 12.8 cm

New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 21 (Hendrick Goltzius); Hirschmann 1921 25; Hollstein 25.I; Strauss 1977 332; Bartsch III.20.31

Condition: crisp impression with a printer’s crease and trimmed to the image borderline. There is a restored loss at the upper right corner and there are remnants of mounting hinges (verso), otherwise the print is in good condition.

I am selling this marvellous etching after Goltzius for the total cost of AU$330 (currently US$255.27/EUR236.94/GBP205.52 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this finely executed engraving based on Goltzius’ design, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Although I have attributed this superb print to an unidentified engraver rather proposing that it is from the hand of the great master, Goltzius, when I compare Goltzius’ print with this copy of a Goltzius I am bedazzled how well executed this copy really is. What is most outstanding about it (presuming that this is an engraved copy rather than an original Goltzius engraving) is not so much that the reproductive engraver matched each line perfectly, but rather that the engraver managed to capture the slight nuances within each stroke that give the portrayed figures the mercurial element: life.