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Hendrick Goltzius

Christ with the Cross

Maker

Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617)
Quatre Vents, publisher

Title

Christ with the Cross

Year

ca. 1580

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

engraving

Supports

Dimensions

Plate/Image: 44 x 34.3 cm (17 5/16 x 13 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Verso:in pencil, LL:50.17.A4/Proute; in LR:Dutuit 42º -1e(e superscribed) etat sur 3/édition Hier.Cock (aux 4 vents); in brown pencil, UL quadrant:V.17; in pencil, UL quadrant:/1-2; in UR:3-

Marks: RISD Museum stamp in brown ink on verso Watermark:crown over shield with fleur de lis over flower

Identification

State

1st of 3

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Miss Ellen D. Sharpe

Object Number

50.314

Type

Exhibition History

The Brilliant Line
Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650
Sep 18, 2009 – Jan 03, 2010

Label copy

Hendrick Goltzius was perhaps the most influential engraver after about 1580. As he learned to engrave in Haarlem and formed relationships with Antwerp publishers, Goltzius quickly adopted Cort’s swelling line into his work. In this early example from his oeuvre, Goltzius incorporated the swelling line to create a heavily muscled Christ, while constructing narrative vignettes in surrounding niches with more traditional, straight parallel lines to define his forms.

Made for an unknown patron and published in Antwerp, this orthodox Catholic image presents a counterpoint to contemporaneous Reformation imagery being produced in the city. Goltzius depicted Christ with the Cross against a landscape featuring the martyrdoms of the apostles. Six cartouches illustrate six of the seven acts of mercy (feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; shelter the traveler; clothe the naked; visit the sick; visit the imprisoned). Above, a cartouche and verses illustrate the sacrament of marriage. The verses below describe Christ’s blood as the means for the redemption of human sin.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617)
Quatre Vents, publisher
Christ with the Cross, ca. 1580
Engraving on medium weight cream laid paper
Plate/Image: 44 x 34.3 cm (17 5/16 x 13 1/2 inches)
Gift of Miss Ellen D. Sharpe 50.314

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