Publius Horatius, 1586

Engraving 39 x 25.6 cm. Signed with his monogram and marked 1. Date in right lower margin. Text underneath in four lines by F. Estius.
Brilliant and sharp impression cut on the platemark.
First of the Roman heroes, from a series of 10. This series was dedicated to the
Emperor Rudolph II.


Publius Horatius in battle array, was one of the three brothers who by agreement were chosen to enter into combat with three brothers in the opposing army of Alba in order to avoid a battle. Although Goltzius depicts the heroic deeds in the background of each of the plates, he wishes the viewer to focus on the heroes themselves. Each is sparsely dressed to reveal the form of his powerful body. The emphasis is on movement and three-dimensionality, the artist’s main concerns in this period.

Hollstein 162 ii/ii, Bartsch 94, Strauss 232 ii/ii