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The image features the upper body and head of a man in a circular frame. The man is facing slightly to the side and downward, with his body oriented to the left and his head turned towards the viewer. He has a prominent forehead, a defined nose, a furrowed brow, and a scrunched face. His hair is thinning on top, with longer strands curling around the back and sides of his head. The man has a beard with similar curled texture as his hair. He is wearing a garment that drapes over his shoulders, with visible folds and a texture that suggests a substantial fabric. No jewelry or objects are in his hands, as they are not visible in this image. The background is plain with a light, sketchy look, focusing attention on the man as the central figure in the circular composition.

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Hendrick Goltzius

Dutch, 1558–1617

Head of an Apostle

pen and brown ink with brown and gray wash on laid paper

overall (diameter): 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington · 1976.74.1

Hendrick Goltzius drew this. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work

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Format

Archival pigment inks on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, a 308 gsm cotton paper, with a white border.

Size
Size
16 × 20 in · image 13¾ × 13¾
Paper
Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 308 gsm
Price
$56

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About this work

The image features the upper body and head of a man in a circular frame. The man is facing slightly to the side and downward, with his body oriented to the left and his head turned towards the viewer. He has a prominent forehead, a defined nose, a furrowed brow, and a scrunched face. His hair is thinning on top, with longer strands curling around the back and sides of his head. The man has a beard with similar curled texture as his hair. He is wearing a garment that drapes over his shoulders, with visible folds and a texture that suggests a substantial fabric. No jewelry or objects are in his hands, as they are not visible in this image. The background is plain with a light, sketchy look, focusing attention on the man as the central figure in the circular composition.

Description from the National Gallery of Art.

Hendrick Goltzius drew this. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

How it was made

Pen and ink
Drawn with a quill or reed pen, often with wash added by brush to model light and shadow.
Laid paper
Handmade on a mould of close-set wires, which leave fine parallel lines you can see when the sheet is held to the light.

Hendrick Goltzius

Dutch, 1558–1617 · Born in Mühlbracht; died in Haarlem.

Goltzius was the outstanding Dutch engraver of his generation, despite a childhood injury that crippled his right hand. In Haarlem he joined Karel van Mander and Cornelis van Haarlem in promoting the muscular Mannerist style of Bartholomeus Spranger, engraving swelling, tapering lines of great virtuosity. A journey to Italy in 1590–91 turned him towards classical sculpture, as in his engravings of the Apollo Belvedere, and around 1600 he gave up engraving for painting.

Written by Ochre Editions.

See all 7 works by Hendrick Goltzius

Rights and the museum’s record

Public domain. The National Gallery of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.

Object number
1976.74.1
Credit
Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
Type
Drawing
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