Marcus Valerius, from "The Roman Heroes"
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
14 1/2 x 9 3/8 in. (36.8 x 23.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.97.693
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Marcus Valerius, from "The Roman Heroes"*, a 1586 engraving by Hendrick Goltzius, a leading Dutch artist of the late Renaissance known for his innovative printmaking. Measuring 14½ × 9⅜ inches, this work captures the fabled Roman warrior in dynamic pose, sword raised and shield at the ready amid suggestions of battle. Produced during a era when Northern European artists revived classical antiquity to inspire and heroism, Goltzius' series exalted figures like Marcus Valerius—likely the legendary consul celebrated for his valor against the Gauls—as moral exemplars. Goltzius' engraving t...
About the Artist
Hendrick Goltzius · 1558–1617
Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) was the most celebrated engraver of the Northern Renaissance and a pivotal figure in Dutch Mannerism. Born near the German-Dutch border, Goltzius transformed printmaking into a virtuoso art form through his revolutionary 'swelling line' technique, where the burin was manipulated to create lines of varying thickness that produced unprecedented tonal effects and three-d...