Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 41.8 × 30.9 cm (16 1/2 × 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268590
Art Historical Context
Hendrick Goltzius’s 1585 engraving *Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan* captures a dramatic moment from classical mythology, in which Vulcan, god of the forge, discovers his wife Venus in an adulterous embrace with Mars. Produced at the height of Dutch Mannerism, the print showcases Goltzius’s virtuoso command of the burin, using swelling, rhythmic lines to model muscular bodies, flickering light, and the taut net that ensnares the lovers. A leading figure of the Haarlem school, Goltzius absorbed Italianate elegance while infusing it with Northern precision and theatrical energy. His elongate...
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...