Renaissance · Art Institute of Chicago · 74120
The Farnesian Hercules, plate one from Three Famous Antique Sculptures
Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617) text written by Theodorus Schrevelius, c. 1592
Art Institute of Chicago · Mary S. Adams Endowment · Public domain
- Artist
- Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617) text written by Theodorus Schrevelius
- Date
- c. 1592
- Medium
- Engraving on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 39.8 × 29.3 cm (15 11/16 × 11 9/16 in.); Plate: 41.5 × 30 cm (16 3/8 × 11 13/16 in.); Sheet: 45 × 33.4 cm (17 3/4 × 13 3/16 in.)
- Era
- Renaissance
Why it matters
On a long-awaited pilgrimage to Italy in 1590 and 1591, the great Haarlem Mannerist artist Hendrick Goltzius made many studies after ancient and modern sculpture. This ancient Greek statue of Hercules by Lysippus was unearthed and restored around 1550 and placed in the Farnese Palace. Goltzius engraved only three statues of a projected series, and these were not printed until after his death, around 1617.