The Standard Bearer

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The Standard Bearer

Artist Hendrick Goltzius Dutch, 1558-1617

Date1587

DimensionsOverall: 11 3/8 x 7 3/4 in. (28.9 x 19.7 cm)

MediumEngraving

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineWinthrop H. Perry Fund

Object number

1965.178

Not on View

Collections

Works on Paper

Published ReferencesSilver, Larry, Pieter Bruegel, New York, Abbeville Press Publishers, 2011, ill. 316, p. 387.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Painter Was a Printmaker: June 23 - Sept. 9, 1984. Toledo Museum of Art, Looks Good on Paper: Masterworks and Favorites, Oct. 10, 2014-Jan. 11, 2015.Label TextHendrik Goltzius, perhaps the first artist/engraver to fully interpret tone and surface texture with a simple engraving tool, inspired a generation of followers. He was born in 1558 in Muhlbracht (Rhine Valley) and moved to Haarlem in 1577. Except for a one-year trip to Italy, he remained in Haarlem until his death in 1617 (a view of Haarlem is seen in the distance in this print). Goltzius’s technical and stylistic approach might be the result of a childhood accident. Falling into a pan of hot oil, his hands were severely burned. His right hand healed poorly and would never again fully open. With the possible loss of dexterity, Goltzius is thought to have relied on his upper arm strength to create the calligraphic manner of his line. In this image, also known as The Standard Swinger, Goltzius seems to take delight in rendering the swelling curves that give this print a tone and texture like no other before it.