Pluto; on verso sketches of a figure, four heads, and a column
Medium
Engraving; sketches in red chalk on verso
Dimensions
sheet: 14 1/8 x 8 11/16 in. (35.9 x 22 cm)
Classification
Prints|Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.906
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Pluto*, a striking 1592 engraving by the masterful Dutch artist Hendrick Goltzius possibly inspired by designs from the Italian Mannerist Polidoro daaggio. This work captures the Roman god of the underworld in a dynamic male nude pose, embodying the muscular ideal of late Renaissance mythology. Goltzius, a leading figure in Haarlem's printmaking scene, excelled at translating painterly visions into intricate engravings, blending Italian influences with Northern precision during Mannerism's expressive height. The medium shines through in the engraving's fine lines and rich tonal contra...
About the Artist
Hendrick Goltzius|Polidoro da Caravaggio · 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...