The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 18, 2024
Seven Deities: Nox (Night)
1588–1590
(Dutch, 1558–1617)
Sheet: 34.9 x 26.4 cm (13 3/4 x 10 3/8 in.); Image: 34.6 x 26.2 cm (13 5/8 x 10 5/16 in.)
Catalogue raisonné: Hollstein 372 (VIII.121), Bialler 11
Location: not on view
Description
Goltzius, famous as an engraver and painter, was the most important advocate of chiaroscuro woodcuts in the Netherlands. Nox is part of a group of seven oval portraits of gods and goddesses shown in their habitats. Accompanied by an owl and rooster, Nox rides in a chariot pulled by bats. Behind her, the sun shines on the orb of the earth and the personification of Sleep dozes contentedly. Because the earliest impressions of Nox, and other Goltzius chiaroscuros, were printed in muted shades like the grays of this impression, the artist may not have had a role in later editions, in which much brighter colors were used. Due to the popularity of these colorful prints, some of Goltzius's chiaroscuro woodcuts—as well as those by other artists like Albrecht Dürer—were reprinted by the Antwerp publisher Willem Jansz, later called Blaeu.- purchased from (Hill-Sone, Inc., New York, NY)
- "1992 Annual Report." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 6 (1993): 215-95. Mentioned: p. 247 www.jstor.org
- Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).Mannerism: Italian, French, and Netherlandish Prints, 1520-1620. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 3-October 26, 1997).Chiaroscuro Woodcuts: Hendrick Goltzius and His Time. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (organizer) (November 14, 1992-January 10, 1993); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 9-April 11, 1993).
- {{cite web|title=Seven Deities: Nox (Night)|url=false|author=Hendrick Goltzius|year=1588–1590|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.86