Portrait of Hendrik Goltzius
Jonas Suyderhoef (1613-1686), Portrait of Hendrik Goltzius, etching and engraving, 1649. [With the signature of the artist and his publisher and collaborator Pieter Claesz Soutman (1580-1657), the title and additional lettering in the plate]. Reference: Wussin 30, first state (of 2). In satisfactory condition, the matrix in good condition, the margins soiled and with a hole at the left away from the image, a soft fold in the center. The margins generous, 16 1/4 x 10 7/8, the sheet 19 5/8 x 14 inches.
A very good impression of this famous engraving, printed on a laid paper with a tortoise shell (?) watermark.
Jonas Suyderhoef was one of the many Dutch engravers who focused on reproducing the work of his illustrious compatriots, including Rembrandt, ter Borch, and Hals, as well as Caravaggio, Rubens and Van Dyck. He trained with the painter Pieter Claesz Soutman, starting in the 1640′s, working on various portraits of royalty, and on this remarkable portrait of one of the outstanding Dutch artists of the late 16th and early 17th centuries – Hendrick Goltzius. Eventually Suyderhoef surpassed his teacher.
In the recent exhibit The Golden Age, Dutch Prints and Drawings, shown at the Smith College Museum of Art, this print was the subject of a short note sufficiently illuminating to justify my quoting it its entirety:
“Suyderhoef may have based this portrait of the renowned Haarlem artist Hendrik Goltzius, who had died in 1617, on the artist’s unfinished self-portrait, but it is more likely he followed the posthumous 1617 interpretation of the original self-portrait by Jan Muller (Goltzius’ stepson). Suyderhoef’s version stands out, however, for its delicate touch and superior crosshatching technique seen in the face, the detail in the beard, and the elaborate emblematic border. These mannerist ornamental borders were common in commemorative portraits of important historical figures. The complex border allows for a demonstration of artistic skill and creativity while adding as well a descriptive ornamental element to the often quite sober portrait.
The border here reveals interesting information regarding Hendrik Goltzius. At the top center above the phoenix head—his coat of arms—we read Goltzius’ personal motto: eer boven golt, “honor above gold.” In addition to the usual angelic putti, the roman laurels, and the cornucopia that adorn the portrait, his personal emblem, a winged caduceus flanks his coat of arms at the top of the print. While the caduceus, the symbol of Mercury, has been interpreted as representing his own spiritual accomplishments, its alchemical significance should also be recognized. Various sources confirm Goltzius’s involvement with “the dark arts.” Moreover, in the array of typical artists’ tools that flank the portrait, we find the alchemist’s alembic (distillation beaker). Such interest in alchemy was not unusual for artists as its principles were used to extract pigments for painting. Finally, the mannerist base of the border with its chimerical grotesque creatures demonstrates a certain artistic playfulness; however, in contrast to the upper part of the border, it also reminds the viewer of the looming infernal threat.”
Detail