The Standard Bearer, Turned to Left
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 27.3 × 19.1 cm (10 3/4 × 7 9/16 in.); Plate/sheet: 28.5 × 19.4 cm (11 1/4 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80745
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Part of a long and honorable tradition (which dates back to the engravings of Albrecht Dürer) of depicting illustrious standard-bearers in full armor or fancy dress, this image by Hendrik Goltzius is notable for its elegance, virtuosity, and bravura. The inscription at the bottom of the engraving declares that when the standard-bearer advances, the troops advance; when he flees, they flee.
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...