The Young Saint John the Baptist

probably c. 1588

Hendrik Goltzius

Associated Names
Hendrick Goltzius

Artist, Dutch, 1558 - 1617

The image portrays a figure shown from the waist up, seated in a slightly reclined position with their head tilted back and gazing upwards. The person's facial features are detailed with distinct shadowing, and they have wavy hair that is swept back from the face. They are draped in a patterned fabric covering one shoulder, holding an object resembling a staff adorned with ribbons in one hand and a ring on a finger of the other hand. Surrounding them are elements of nature, including foliage and what appears to be a sheep nestled against them. The background is filled with etched lines suggesting a wooded setting with trees, shrubbery, and sketches of birds in flight overhead.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    chiaroscuro woodcut in sepia-ochre, olive and black on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Print Purchase Fund (Rosenwald Collection)

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 23.6 × 14 cm (9 5/16 × 5 1/2 in.)
    mount: 41.4 × 29.9 cm (16 5/16 × 11 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1982.9.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein 1996, no. D3, State iii(a)/iii(b)

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1986

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., February 1986.

2007

  • The Baroque Woodcut, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2007 - 2008

Bibliography

1921

  • Hirschmann, Otto. Verzeichnis des graphischen Werks von Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) mit Benutzung der durch E.W. Moest hinterlassenen Notizen zusammengestellt. Leipzig: Verlag von Klinkhardt und Biermann, 1921. Reprint. Braunschweig: Klinkhardt &Bie

1993

  • The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-: no. D3, iii(a)/iii(b).

Watermarks

to be identified

Wikidata ID

Q74038288

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