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Hendrick Goltzius

Demogorgon in the Cave of Eternity

Maker

Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617)

Title

Demogorgon in the Cave of Eternity
from the series "Demogorgon and the Deities"

Year

ca. 1588-1590

Medium

  • Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in tan,
  • green,
  • and black

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in tan,
  • green,
  • and black

Materials

chiaroscuro woodcut

Supports

  • Medium weight cream laid paper

Dimensions

Plate/Image: 34.8 x 26 cm (13 11/16 x 10 1/4 inches)

Identification

State

only state,

Edition

edition b

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mr. Henry D. Sharpe

Object Number

49.049

Type

  • Prints

Exhibition History

A Matter of Tone
Chiaroscuro Woodblock Prints, 1520-1800
Jul 16, 2004 – Oct 31, 2004

Label copy

The full meaning of this series has yet to be discovered. Helios (Sun) and Nox (Night) represent the heavens. Proserpine and Pluto (not included here) represent the underworld. Oceanus and his wife, Tethys (the pair is sometimes identified as Neptune and Galatea), represent the seas. The seventh, Demogorgon, is the father of all the gods, creator of chaos and order, accompanied by Eternity, the snake with her tail in her mouth, and Mother Nature, who brings forth plants and animals.

Demogorgon was probably the first print cut and has the most comprehensive line block. As the series progressed, Goltzius increased his use of the tone blocks, reducing the line particularly in Oceanus, perhaps the last woodblocks he carved in the series. There is some debate about whether Goltzius cut all or some of the blocks for his chiaroscuro prints or hired another artist as a blockcutter. In this series, each of the prints except Proserpine is inscribed with the monograms “HG f.” or “HG fe.”, which stand for “Hendrik Goltzius fecit” (Latin, “made it”), indicating that Goltzius cut these blocks himself. When he printed the blocks, Goltzius experimented with different combinations of colors. The earliest impressions in this series were printed in shades of gray, as is the Museum’s Oceanus; then tan, green, and black, such as Proserpine, Helios, Tethys, and Demogorgon; followed by the last impressions in ochre, brown, and black, as seen in Nox.

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

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)
Demogorgon in the Cave of Eternity; from the series "Demogorgon and the Deities", ca. 1588-1590
Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in tan, green, and black
Plate/Image: 34.8 x 26 cm (13 11/16 x 10 1/4 inches)
Gift of Mr. Henry D. Sharpe 49.049

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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