Nox, plate seven from Demogorgon and the Deities
1588/90
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks of black, ochre and olive green, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 34.7 × 26.3 cm (13 11/16 × 10 3/8 in.); Sheet: 40.8 × 34 cm (16 1/8 × 13 7/16 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
55550
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The Greek goddess of night, Nyx, was the mother of many deities, including those of sleep, dreams, misery, and death. In this image, her chariot is pulled by a fleet of bats and she is seated next to an owl, symbols of night and death. The rooster that rides atop her chariot can be seen as a symbol of night’s end, or a reference to the rooster that drew the chariot of the god Hermes to Hades. Chiaroscuro woodcuts like this one were usually made with several woodblocks; one with black ink was use...
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...