The Painter Hans Bol
Artist
Hendrick Goltzius
(Dutch, 1558–1617)
Date1593
Mediumengraving on cream laid paper
Dimensions25.7 x 17.8 cm (image), 25.9 x 18 cm (sheet)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineGift of Robert and Barbara Wheaton in honor of Jim Welu's thirty years at the Worcester Art Museum
Object number2004.108
Label TextBol’s tempera landscapes were so widely copied that he began painting miniatures on vellum that gained international fame. Goltzius admired his skill and invention; Van Mander, who understood how Bol continued the legacy of fifteenth-century Netherlandish book painting, lauded him in print. This insightful portrait, done soon after the sitter’s death, reflects their friendship. It is composed like a memorial tomb, with Bol’s likeness surmounting a skull and smothering torches. Tools of his trade hang at each side, while two putti above sketch and engrave the world.ProvenanceRobert and Barbara Wheaton, Concord, MAOn View
Not on view
