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The Great Hercules

Hendrick Goltzius Netherlandish
1589
Not on view
This remarkable engraving has long been known as the Knollenman, or bulbous man. It shows Goltzius's bulging-muscle figure style at its most extreme. This Hercules is almost an inflated version of the lithe Apollo of a year earlier (51.501.3). Hercules was frequently associated with the Dutch in their rebellion against Spain, and one interpretation of his odd appearance is that he was meant as an embodiment of the Dutch nation.

This astounding piece exemplifies the confidence evident in Goltzius's work of the late 1580s. The deeply cut swelling lines exude bravado, as does the fact that this curious image was printed from a single large and no doubt expensive copper printing plate.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Great Hercules
  • Artist: Hendrick Goltzius (Netherlandish, Mühlbracht 1558–1617 Haarlem)
  • Date: 1589
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Dimensions: 21 7/8 x 15 7/8 in. (55.5 x 40.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.140.28
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Adoration of the Magi, Hendrick Goltzius Netherlandish, Engraving
Adoration of the Magi
Hendrick Goltzius
n.d.
Publius Horatius, Hendrick Goltzius Netherlandish, Engraving
Publius Horatius
Hendrick Goltzius
1586
The Dead Saviour and the Four Evangelists
Hendrick Goltzius
Anthonie Blocklandt
1583
Dissension in the Church (Dissidium in Ecclesia), Hendrick Goltzius Netherlandish, Engraving
Dissension in the Church (Dissidium in Ecclesia)
Hendrick Goltzius
Philips Galle
ca. 1578
The Eight Beatitudes, Hendrick Goltzius Netherlandish, Engraving
The Eight Beatitudes
Hendrick Goltzius
Philips Galle
ca. 1578

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