Follower of Hendrick Goltzius

Hercules killing Cacus,
oil on panel, 53 x 41 cm, framed
The present composition, with the rippling musculature of its figures and their contorted poses is characteristic of Haarlem Mannerism. It is taken from a design by arguably its most influential practitioner, Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617). The monumental figure of Hercules with his club, bisecting the picture plane, with the modeling of light and shade and recession to twin vanishing points, is directly inspired by Goltzius’s 1588 chiaroscuro woodcut of Hercules and Cacus, (a fine impression of which is conserved in the Art Institute of Chicago, inv. no. 1930.795).
Specialist: Damian Brenninkmeyer