Hans Bol
1593
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed within plate mark): 25.8 x 17.8 cm (10 3/16 x 7 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1987.64.1
Art Historical Context
This striking engraving by Hendrik Goltzius portrays the Flemish landscape artist Hans Bol, capturing a moment of artistic exchange in the late 16th century. Created in 1593, the print reflects the close-knit world of Northern European artists during a period of remarkable innovation in printmaking. Goltzius, one of the most celebrated engravers of his time, used his exceptional technical skill to render Bol with dignified presence, highlighting both the subject’s features and the subtle textures of his clothing. The work demonstrates Goltzius’s mastery of the engraving technique on laid pape...
About the Artist
Hendrik Goltzius
Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617), born near Viersen in the Duchy of Jülich (modern Germany), emerged as the preeminent Dutch engraver of the Northern Mannerist era. From a lineage of artists—his great-grandfather and grandfather were painters in Venlo, and his father, Jan Goltz II, a glass painter—Goltzius began his training under his father in painting on glass. A childhood fire severely deformed hi...