1615
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Thisbe Frightened by the Lion is a 1615 ink by Hendrik Goltzius, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a woman crouching in a rocky forest, clutching a cloth to her face. A lion looms behind her, its head turned toward her, while a city sits quietly in the distant background. The trees and bushes are detailed with sharp lines, and the woman’s posture looks tense and afraid. The scene comes from a story about love and danger, where the woman hears the lion but can’t see it. The artist used fine lines to build up shadows and texture, making everything look dramatic. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved images into metal.
Hendrick Goltzius (German: , Dutch: ; né Goltz; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter.
See the richer artist page
