Apollo Abusing Leucothoe

Art Historical Context

In the National Gallery of Art's collection, *Apollo Abusing Leucoe* (c. 1615) is a striking engraving produced by the workshop of Hendrickoltzius, the renowned Dutch Mannerist artist, based on his own design. Goltzius (1558–1617) was a virtuoso engraver whose intricate lines captured dramatic mythological scenes with elegant, elongated figures and dynamic poses characteristic of Mannerism—a style bridging the Renaissance and Baroque eras. This print depicts a tense moment from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, where the sun god Apollo ravishes the mortal princess Leucothoe, blending eroticism with tragedy in a tale of divine passion and mortal peril. Engraving on laid paper, a technique Goltzius perfected, involved incising designs into a copper plate with a burin to create rich, swelling lines that hold ink for printing. At 18.5 x 26 cm, this intimate plate size made it ideal for collectors, allowing widespread dissemination of Goltzius' masterful compositions. Produced posthumously by his workshop, it exemplifies the collaborative print culture of early 17th-century Northern Europe, where such works educated and delighted audiences with classical myths rendered in virtuoso technique. A gift from the Estate of Leo Steinberg, it invites visitors to appreciate the tactile depth and narrative intensity of old master prints.