The Giants Climbing the Heavens
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 18.5 x 26.2 cm (7 5/16 x 10 5/16 in.), cut to platemark
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of the Estate of Leo Steinberg
Accession Number
2011.139.165
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, workshop of Hendrick Goltzius produced *The Giants Climbing the Heavens (c. 1589), an engraving after a design by the master himself. Goltzius, leading Dutch Mannerist artist, was renowned for his innovativemaking that blurred the lines between engraving and painting. This dynamic composition likely draws from classical mythology, depicting colossal figures scaling toward the divine realms—a nod to tales of hubris like the Gigantomachy, where giants challenged the gods. The precisely cut sheet (18.5 x 26.2 cm) captures Goltzius's signature "swelling line" technique, w...