Artwork
Hans Bol
Hans Bol is a print by the Renaissance artist Hendrick Goltzius. It dates from 1593 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1986.25
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Malcolm L. McBride by exchange and gift in memory of Paul H. Oppman, Sr., from his family
About this work
This portrait shows Hans Bol, a painter, at 58 years old. He's dressed in old-fashioned clothes. The frame around him has a skull and upside-down torches, which means the picture was made after he died.
The frame's decorations are interesting because they hint at Bol's life and death. To learn more about the style of this portrait, look at the work of artist: Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558–1617).
Overview
This engraving presents the Flemish artist Hans Bol, aged fifty‑eight, in a formal portrait. The image was produced posthumously, as indicated by the memento mori symbols incorporated into the surrounding ornamental frame.
Subject & Meaning
Bol is depicted in attire that reflects an earlier fashion, emphasizing his status as a mature, established painter. The inclusion of a skull and inverted torches within the frame serves as a conventional reminder of mortality, marking the work as a funerary tribute.
Technique & Style
Executed as an engraving, the portrait demonstrates the fine line work characteristic of mid‑sixteenth‑century Northern printmaking. The careful rendering of texture and fabric parallels the detailed approach found in the prints of contemporaries such as Hendrick Goltzius.
History & Provenance
Hans Bol (1534–1593) worked in Antwerp as a painter, etcher, and miniaturist. The portrait was created in the year of his death, 1593, and circulated as a commemorative image among his patrons and fellow artists.
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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.
