Artwork Page for Three Goddesses

Details / Information for Three Goddesses

Series Title: Three Goddesses

Three Goddesses

c. 1595

Jan Saenredam

(Dutch, 1565–1607)

after Hendrick Goltzius

(Dutch, 1558–1617)
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Culture
Netherlands, 16th century
Medium
engraving
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1993.205
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Goltzius popularized a style of engraving with mesmerizing patterns of curving, tapering, and crisscrossing lines; it was especially appreciated in the late 1500s. Designed for his pupil Saenredam to engrave, these prints depict the three goddesses from the tale of The Judgment of Paris, in which each claimed the golden apple awarded to the most beautiful. Jupiter deferred judgment to Paris, a mortal esteemed for his fair-mindedness. Juno and Athena tried to bribe Paris with an empire and skill in war, but Venus made him an offer he could not resist: Helen, the world’s most beautiful woman. The presentation of the deities in separate prints suggests that viewers may also play Paris’s role and decide themselves which goddess the artists made most beautiful.
A vertically oriented print in black ink depicts a woman with a light skin tone. Seen in profile facing right, she wears an ornate plumed helmet and a garment uncovering one breast. Her right hand rests on a shield featuring a snake-haired face; her left holds a tall spear. Behind her, an owl perches on a cloud. Dense hatching creates volume, and Latin text appears at the bottom.

Three Goddesses

c. 1595

Jan Saenredam, Hendrick Goltzius

(Dutch, 1565–1607), (Dutch, 1558–1617)
Netherlands, 16th century

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