Hendrick Goltzius

Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 8 November 2000, lot 35;
Emile Wolf, New York,
thence by descent 

Ithaca, New York, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Dutch Drawings of the Seventeenth Century from a Collection, 1979, cat. 5

E.K.J. Reznicek, 'Drawings by Hendrick Goltzius, Thirty Years Later: Supplement to the 1961 catalogue raisonné', Master Drawings, vol. XXXI, no.3 (Autumn 1993), p. 250, cat. K241a;
Y. Bleyerveld & I.M. Veldman, The Netherlandish Drawings of the 16th Century in the Teylers Museum, Leiden/Haarlem 2016, p. 146

Hinged to blue backing paper with window to reveal back of sheet. Top of arch, missing from main sheet, is drawn in on this backing. Pen, wash and heightening all in good condition. Minor stains, apparently from previous hinges, top right and lower left. Some signs of light water staining down left side, and a little light staining and foxing elsewhere. Minor loss at bottom edge, towards right. A few very small holes in background, two backed, and two more thin spots in upper half. The back of the sheet is fairly extensively stained, presumably from glue from a previous backing, now removed, but this has not penetrated to the front of the sheet, which remains reasonably fresh and blue.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Goltzius's designs for prints are among the most beautiful and paradoxically among the most colourful of his drawings.  Although he was working with black and white engravings in mind, he often used coloured washes or papers and white heightening to set out the composition.  In the present drawing Goltzius employs a blue paper to provide the middle range, with brown wash and white heightening to create the dark shadows and highlights respectively.

Pluto is unusual among Goltzius's designs for prints because it is one of two drawings for the same engraving.  The print is from a series of eight engravings of gods after Polidoro da Caravaggio, which is dated 1592.¹  Excluding the present example, there are six finished drawings for the series, all in the same direction as the prints, and all in the Teylers Museum, Haarlem.  As Reznicek notes (loc. cit.), this drawing is smaller and sketchier than the Haarlem version of the same figure, and also differs from the finished print.  Most significant is the absence of decoration around the niche, but there are changes in the tilt of the head, the shadow of the torch and the drapery as well.  As a result Reznicek believes it is a preliminary design, predating the Teylers version.²

It is possible that Goltzius sketched the present sheet while he was in Rome in 1590-91, after the now lost frescoes by Polidoro.  During his Italian trip, Goltzius spent a great deal of time copying antique and Italian masters.  The trip had a profound effect on his style, taming the more flamboyant elements of his mannerist style and introducing a new solidity and classicism, which is evidenced here.

^1. F.W.H. Hollstein, Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, Amsterdam 1949 - present, vol. 8, no. 298

^2. For which, see Reznicek, Die Zeichnungen von Hendrick Goltzius, 2 vols., Utrecht 1961, cat. K241; Bleyerveld and Veldman, op. cit., no. 129