Artwork
The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist
The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist is an ink drawing by the Renaissance artist Hendrick Goltzius. It dates from 1595 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center in brown ink with white heightening: HG / 1595 / cinque anni p: di morire.; lower left in brown ink: 10 f; by later hand, lower right in graphite: d 15; by later hand, upper center verso in brown ink: L. 27.; by later hand, upper left verso in graphite: B. 20 / [?] Niederlanders; by later hand, upper right verso in graphite: S; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: Hendrik Goltzius / 1558-1616 Haarlem / 9/1 1929 aho; by later hand, lower left verso in red pencil: [']700
About this work
Overview
The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist is a drawing created by Hendrick Goltzius in 1595, executed in pen and brown ink, brown wash, and white heightening on specially prepared brown laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a sacred scene bringing together the Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and her infant son, Saint John the Baptist, conveying a narrative of familial devotion and religious reverence.
Technique & Style
Goltzius employed intricate linework, leveraging cross-hatching to achieve textured depth, characteristic of his mastery within the Northern Mannerism and early Baroque periods.
History & Provenance
Created in 1595 by Hendrick Goltzius, a renowned German-born Dutch draftsman and printmaker, the drawing showcases his technical prowess and compositional complexity.
Context
This piece reflects Goltzius's position as a leading figure in Dutch engraving during the late 16th century, embodying the detailed, expressive qualities of Northern European artistic trends.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Hendrick Goltzius (German: , Dutch: ; né Goltz; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter.
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