5125 - Goltzius, Hendrick

Goltzius, Hendrick The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche. Copperplate engraving from 3 plates after Bartholomäus Spranger. 43.4 x 85.5 cm. 1587. B. 277, Hollstein 322 II (of IV), Leesberg (New Hollstein) 341 II (of IV). Mark: Crowned shield bearing the coats of arms of Burgundy and Austria (Briquet 2291, 1587). This rare copperplate engraving, printed from three plates and depicting the wedding of Cupid and Psyche, is the largest and arguably the most famous of Goltzius’s engravings after Bartholomäus Spranger. With its vast array of figures—more than eighty protagonists are depicted!—it impressed both art lovers and artists alike even during Goltzius’s lifetime. Spranger’s preparatory drawing, executed in reverse and on the same scale, is housed in the Rijksprentenkabinet in Amsterdam (Inv. RP-T-1890-A-2339). This copperplate engraving is rightly regarded as the manifesto of Northern Mannerism and, beyond that, as one of the greatest examples of the symbiotic collaboration between a designing artist and an engraver in the history of European printmaking (see exhibition catalog Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617). Tekeningen, Prenten en Schilderijen, ed. by Ger Luijten and Huigen Leeflang, Amsterdam/New York/Ohio, 2003/04, no. 28, pp. 87–89). The engraving displays the full range of parallel layers of varying density, hatching, and dots that are characteristic of Goltzius’s engraving style and exemplifies the application of the engraving technique he introduced—the swelling single line, known as the “taille”—in an exemplary manner. Compared to other large-format prints from this creative phase, such as the 1590 copperplate engraving *The Judgment of Midas* (Hollstein 132), created in 1590—where the interlacing lines gleam with a sharp metallic luster and a dramatic chiaroscuro prevails—the *Marriage of Cupid and Psyche* appears calmer and more balanced. The plate was evidently engraved less deeply, presumably with the intention of not compromising the immense richness of detail and the finely balanced compositional harmony of the depiction with overly strong light-dark contrasts. An absolutely excellent, even, and precise early print with a fine knurled edge around the plate’s perimeter. Two inconspicuous, smoothed-out vertical creases; minor imperfections; the reverse is somewhat stained and has isolated light scuffs; overall, however, in excellent, pristine condition. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.