The Holy Family

c. 1583

Hendrik Goltzius

Associated Names
Hendrick Goltzius

Artist, Dutch, 1558 - 1617

The image is an engraving depicting three figures from the waist up. On the left, a woman with delicate facial features and wavy hair tied back with a headscarf sits; her hair is adorned with a band of beads. She is shown in profile, gazing downwards, and wears a draped garment. To her right is an infant, seated on her lap, with a chubby face and curly hair. The child is reaching upwards towards a man standing next to them, who is bending forward slightly. The man has a beard and short hair, and his facial expression appears attentive as he offers a small branch with leaves to the child. His clothing is loose-fitting with an ample shawl. The background is sketched with branches and leaves.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate (oval): 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)
    sheet: 17.5 x 11.7 cm (6 7/8 x 4 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1990.15.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein 1996, no. 33


Artwork history & notes

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. 33.

Inscriptions

in the fruit, rCin plate: HG [in reverse]

Wikidata ID

Q74884627

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