Portrait of Hendrik Goltzius
c. 1649
Medium
Etching and engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 39.9 × 26.3 cm (15 3/4 × 10 3/8 in.); Sheet, trimmed within platemark: 40.2 × 26.7 cm (15 7/8 × 10 9/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
12075
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This striking portrait, created around 1649 by Dutch printmaker Jonas Suyderhoef, presents the likeness of Hendrik Goltzius through the refined medium of etching and engraving on ivory laid paper. The work measures roughly 40 by 27 centimeters, with the image carefully composed to highlight the subject’s features using precise lines and tonal contrasts typical of 17th-century printmaking. Etching and engraving techniques were especially valued during this period for their ability to capture intricate details while allowing multiple impressions to be produced from a single plate. This made portraits of notable figures more widely available to collectors and scholars beyond a single painted original. Housed in the Prints and Drawings department at the Art Institute of Chicago, the piece reflects the important role such prints played in preserving artistic legacies and sharing them with broader audiences across Europe.
About the Artist
Jonas Suyderhoef · 1613–1686
Comment on works: Engraver; Draftsman; Painter; Reproductions