Hendrick GoltziusDutch, 1558–1617Apollo Belvedere
About the work
Hendrick Goltzius was one of many late Renaissance artists who felt compelled to travel to Italy as part of his artistic training. He went with one purpose—to study antique sculpture. Goltzius made drawings on-site and then made engravings after his designs once he returned to Haarlem in 1591. He portrayed the Apollo Belvedere from a low viewpoint to capture the awesome experience of first encountering the famous monument. A seated, sketching artist emphasizes the experience of visiting, seeing, and drawing the sculpture in situ. The engraving shows to excellent advantage the virtuosic technique that Goltzius developed, in which the swelling and tapering line exaggerates the heroic musculature of the figure.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- 2022.139
Meanwhile, in the life of Hendrick Goltzius
The whole life1590
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."
January 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.
August 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.
