In 1594 Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) engraved a set of large plates with the Stories of the Virgin, also called “The Masterpiece”. The plates, 6 in total, are really big and in each of them the engraver explicitly imitates the graphic language of other great names of the graphic arts. In this case Goltzius copied Dürer’s engraving technique, rather impressively.
Also, Goltzius included a self portrait in the right center of the composition. You can see him under the arch. He is the only character in the representation gazing directly towards the viewer.
An impression of this masterpiece is for sale on Catawiki this week!
Anna Bianco 