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The Holy Family
before a Column
Bartsch 274;
Hollstein (Dutch) 318.1; Strauss 219.1
burin engraving, 1585, a
very fine impression of the rare first state of this engraving, printed
cleanly, on medium-weight
laid paper (with the
"Crest of Basel on Escutcheon" watermark characteristic of first-state
impressions, as cited by Strauss),
trimmed slightly inside of the platemark (1 or 2 mm.
*), some localized soiling, traces of a horizontal fold (mainly
in evidence on the reverse), mounted on
a modern backing sheet with conservation tape,
otherwise in very good
condition
Provenance: a private
European collection
S. 170 x 125 mm.
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This fine engraving is one of
the earliest of Hendrick Goltzius's typically Mannerist subjects
inspired by Bartholomeus Spranger, the internationally renowned Flemish
painter. Court painter to Rudolf II in Prague at the time,
Spranger had in fact been trained in Italy, settling in Rome in 1567,
where he was first appointed painter to the Vatican by Pope Pius V in
1570.
The Holy Family before a Column,
dated 1585, leads into what are often called the "Spranger years" of
Goltzius's rich artistic production; this period, between 1586 and
1590, is what Huigen Leeflang considers to be "arguably the most
fascinating in the artist's career." **
We have seen only one
impression of this remarkable print on auction in recent years:
Sotheby's, Lot 25, Sale L10160, Old
Master, Modern & Contemporary Prints, London, March
30, 2010.
* According to both Hollstein and Strauss, the plate measures 175
x126 mm.
* For a full
discussion of Spranger's influence on Goltzius, see Huigen Leeflang et
al., Hendrick Goltzius
(1558-1617): drawings, prints and paintings, Waanders 2003)
