An image of Mars and Venus  Hendrick Goltzius  (Netherlands
1558 – 1617)  after Bartholomaeus Spranger  (Netherlands
1546 – 1611)  Mars and Venus  Not on display Further information
Goltzius was the central figure in printmaking in the
Netherlands at the close of the 16th century. He was based in
Haarlem where he established an academy in 1583. During this
decade he developed a distinctive and dazzling style of
curvilinear engraving based on perfectly even lines that swell
in the centre and taper away at the ends, or fade into
stippling. His prints are characterised by dense networks of
intersecting curves, which create an optical moiré effect and
emphasize the evocation of volume and three dimensional form.
Goltzius’s virtuosity is particularly evident in his prints
reproducing the drawings of Bartholomeus Spranger, an artist who
worked in the hyperelegant style of late Mannerism. Spranger
hailed from Antwerp but had travelled over much of Europe before
becoming court painter to Rudolph II of Prague. Spran