Purchase Oil Painting Replica Mercurius, 1611 by Hendrik Goltzius (1558-1617, Italy)

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"Mercurius"

Hendrik Goltzius (i) - Oil On Canvas (i) - 214 x 120 cm - 1611 - (Frans Hals Museum (Haarlem, Netherlands)) (i)
For centuries these three paintings of life-size nudes, the goddess Minerva, the god Mercury and the hero Hercules, have been an inseparable trio. And yet they were not all painted in the same year. Goltzius painted the Minerva and Mercury in 1611; the Hercules and Cacus followed in 1613, and may well have been commissioned by the Haarlem lawyer and town councillor Johan Colterman (c. 1565-1616), who probably had his 22-year-old son Johan Colterman Junior model for the young, powerful figure of Hercules. This painting is not quite the same size as the two earlier works and its original frame was also slightly different. The earliest mention of the paintings hanging together dates from 1671, when they belonged to the daughter and son-in-law of Colterman Junior. The three paintings together exemplify the humanist educational ideal. Theory (Mercury) and practice (Minerva) lead to skill and virtue. Virtue is personified in Hercules, who defeats the evil giant Cacus.MercuryThe mythological figure of Mercury was patron of the arts and god of rhetoric. He is identified by his winged helmet, the snake-entwined caduceus and a cockerel. In this version, his caduceus looks very like a maulstick. At Mercury’s feet lie drawing attributes, a set square, compasses, a drawing and an album of drawing patterns. Behind him stands a girl sticking her tongue out and holding a rattle and a magpie. In this painting, too, wisdom and stupidity are united: the girl symbolizes foolish prattle.

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Early Life and Training

Hendrick Goltzius, a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter, was born in January or February 1558. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, or Northern Mannerism, lauded for his sophisticated technique and "exuberance" of his compositions. According to A. Hyatt Mayor, Goltzius "was the last professional engraver who drew with the authority of a good painter and the last who invented many pictures for others to copy". Goltzius's family moved to Duisburg when he was 3 years old, and after studying painting on glass under his father, he learned engraving from the Dutch polymath Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert.

Artistic Career

In 1577, Goltzius moved with Coornhert to Haarlem in the Dutch Republic, where he remained based for the rest of his life. He was also employed by Philip Galle to engrave a set of prints of the history of Lucretia. Goltzius had a malformed right hand from a fire when he was a baby, which turned out to be especially well-suited to holding the burin. This unique physical characteristic allowed him to master a commanding swing of line, making his engravings highly distinctive. Hendrick Goltzius brought to an unprecedented level the use of the "swelling line", where the burin is manipulated to make lines thicker or thinner to create a tonal effect from a distance.

Technique and Style

Goltzius was a pioneer of the "dot and lozenge" technique, where dots are placed in the middle of lozenge-shaped spaces created by cross-hatching to further refine tonal shading. His command of the burin is said to rival Dürer, and he made engravings of Bartholomeus Spranger's paintings, thus increasing the fame of the latter – and his own. Goltzius began painting at the age of forty-two; some of his paintings can be found in Vienna. He also executed a few chiaroscuro woodcuts.

Public Collections and Legacy

Most major print rooms will have a group of Goltzius's many engravings, including the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His legacy can be seen in the works of other artists, such as Jacques Bellange, who was also a master of Northern Mannerist printmaking. Goltzius's engravings and paintings continue to inspire art lovers and scholars alike, and his work can be found on WahooArt.com and in the Wikipedia article dedicated to his life and work.

Some of Goltzius's notable works include: Jupiter, Minerva, and The Prophet Baruch
Museums with his work: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and British Museum
Techniques used by Goltzius: "swelling line" and "dot and lozenge" technique

Goltzius's contributions to the world of art are immeasurable, and his work continues to be celebrated and studied by art enthusiasts around the world. His unique style and mastery of engraving and painting have left a lasting legacy in the art world.