Unidentified engraver after Goltzius’ “Christ before Pilate”, 1596

Unidentified engraver after Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617)

“Christ before Pilate”, 1596, from the series, “The Passion.”

Note: there are numerous copies of Goltzius’ prints made by his contemporaries. Some are in reverse (which this is not) and others are so well crafted that they are almost identical to the original and were published in Johannes Baptist Mayr’s “Hebdomada Sancta Viro Dolorum, et scienti infirmitatem...consecrata. Animae Poenitenti, devotae, amanti consideranda proposita,” Salzburg, 1677. My concern with this impression is that it does not have Goltzius’ monogram and I can see barely discernible initials at the lower right corner. Mindful of these issues, I believe that this impression is likely to be one of the excellent copies. (See an example of one of these copies made by Abraham Hogenberg [fl.1590–1656] held by the British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3238392&partId=1&searchText=goltzius&page=1)

Engraving on fine laid paper, trimmed to the image borderline.

Size: (sheet) 19.6 x 12.8 cm

New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 21 (Hendrick Goltzius); Hirschmann 1921 25; Hollstein 25.I; Strauss 1977 332; Bartsch III.20.31

Condition: crisp impression with a printer’s crease and trimmed to the image borderline. There is a restored loss at the upper right corner and there are remnants of mounting hinges (verso), otherwise the print is in good condition.

I am selling this marvellous etching after Goltzius for the total cost of AU$330 (currently US$255.27/EUR236.94/GBP205.52 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this finely executed engraving based on Goltzius’ design, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Although I have attributed this superb print to an unidentified engraver rather proposing that it is from the hand of the great master, Goltzius, when I compare Goltzius’ print with this copy of a Goltzius I am bedazzled how well executed this copy really is. What is most outstanding about it (presuming that this is an engraved copy rather than an original Goltzius engraving) is not so much that the reproductive engraver matched each line perfectly, but rather that the engraver managed to capture the slight nuances within each stroke that give the portrayed figures the mercurial element: life.