Bust of a Warrior
1586/88
Medium
Black chalk, with red chalk, heightened with traces of white chalk, ruled with pen and black ink, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
14 × 9.8 cm (5 9/16 × 3 7/8 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
243885
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Netherlandish artists like Hendrick Goltzius studied Classical antiquity to understand the ideal representation of the human face and body. They also turned to Classical inspirations to develop their own imaginative repertoire, as reflected in this rendering of a warrior.
About the Artist
Hendrick Goltzius · 1558–1617
Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) was the most celebrated engraver of the Northern Renaissance and a pivotal figure in Dutch Mannerism. Born near the German-Dutch border, Goltzius transformed printmaking into a virtuoso art form through his revolutionary 'swelling line' technique, where the burin was manipulated to create lines of varying thickness that produced unprecedented tonal effects and three-d...