To Sibyller

late 1580s

Depression and consumption

From the late 1580s he suffered from depression and consumption; his family life was unhappy.

1590

Departure for Italy

He fled from his wife and, despite his illnesses, set out for Italy — via Hamburg and Munich to Venice, Bologna and Florence. Part of the way he traveled on foot, passing himself off as a commoner, "partly out of a love of mystification."

1591

Eight months in Rome

He arrived in Rome in January 1591 and stayed eight months (with a brief sojourn in Naples). He discovered Raphael, was especially impressed by Michelangelo and Giambologna, and studied art from classical sculpture to the masters of the Renaissance.

1591

Return to Haarlem with a collection of drawings

He returned to Haarlem, bringing from Italy a large collection of drawings that he used for the rest of his life; from the Roman material three engravings of classical statues are known, including the Farnese Hercules.

mid-1590s

Turn toward classicism

In the mid-1590s his art underwent a gradual stylistic turn toward classicism; at the same time he began executing large finished pen drawings on parchment in a calligraphic technique imitating the methods of burin engraving.