Banquet at the House of Tarquinius Collatinus

Art Historical Context

Hendrik Goltzius created this engraving around 1578, early in his career as one of the most celebrated Northern European printmakers of the late Renaissance. The scene depicts a pivotal moment from Roman legend: the banquet at the home of Tarquinius Collatinus, where noblemen wager on their wives’ virtue, setting in motion the tragic events surrounding Lucretia. Through precise, flowing lines on laid paper, Goltzius captures the tension among the figures gathered around the table, inviting viewers to reflect on themes of honor, power, and consequence. Engravings like this one played a vital role in the sixteenth century by making classical stories widely accessible beyond painted canvases reserved for elites. Goltzius’s technical skill—evident in the varied textures of fabric, architecture, and expressive faces—demonstrates his emerging mastery of the medium, which would later influence generations of printmakers across Europe. Measuring just over eight by nine inches, the intimate scale encourages close looking, much as museum visitors today can appreciate its narrative richness and craftsmanship at the National Gallery of Art.

About the Artist

Hendrik Goltzius

Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617), born near Viersen in the Duchy of Jülich (modern Germany), emerged as the preeminent Dutch engraver of the Northern Mannerist era. From a lineage of artists—his great-grandfather and grandfather were painters in Venlo, and his father, Jan Goltz II, a glass painter—Goltzius began his training under his father in painting on glass. A childhood fire severely deformed hi...