Hendrick Goltzius

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.