Vulcanus, from Eight Pagan Gods
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 35.7 × 21.5 cm (14 1/16 × 8 1/2 in.); sheet: 40.7 × 31.3 cm (16 1/16 × 12 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268553
Art Historical Context
Behold Hendrick Goltzius's *Vulcanus, from Eight Pagan Gods* (1592), a masterful engraving that captures the Roman god of fire and metalworking in a dynamic, muscular. Created during the late Northern Renaissance, this print belongs to a celebrated series of eight engravings depicting pagan deities, drawing on classical mythology to showcase Goltzius's virtuosic skill. As a leading Dutch Mannerist, Goltzius blended Italian influences—like Michelangelo's anatomy—with Northern precision, making gods appear almost superhumanly alive. Engraved on fine ivory laid paper (plate: 35.7 × 21.5 cm), the...
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...