Hendrick Goltzius. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1532-1588), English Nobleman, Governor-General of the United Provinces in 1585-87. 1586. Netherlands. Engraving in black on ivory laid paper Like the related genre of painted miniatures, small-scale portrait prints require close inspection and delicate handling. The round format of two of these prints invites comparisons to oval miniatures and cast medallions, examples of which are displayed nearby. In the case of Goltzius’s portrait of Dudley (and other examples from the artist’s oeuvre), the print matrix—a gold plate—was itself a work of a
Hendrick Goltzius. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1532-1588), English Nobleman, Governor-General of the United Provinces in 1585-87. 1586. Netherlands. Engraving in black on ivory laid paper Like the related genre of painted miniatures, small-scale portrait prints require close inspection and delicate handling. The round format of two of these prints invites comparisons to oval miniatures and cast medallions, examples of which are displayed nearby. In the case of Goltzius’s portrait of Dudley (and other examples from the artist’s oeuvre), the print matrix—a gold plate—was itself a work of art, and only a handful of impressions were pulled so as to preserve the surface of the soft precious metal. The double status of the print matrix also explains why the text appears reversed in the print; on the face of the gold plate, the letters would still appear in the correct direction.
Size: 2805px × 3000px
Photo credit: © WBC ART / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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