On view
Duane Wilder Gallery
Apollo as Sol,
ca. 1591
after Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem, 1562–1638; born and died Haarlem, Netherlands
This painting is paired with another artist’s translation of it into print, known as a reproductive print. The development of reproductive engraving in the sixteenth century is fascinating to me, not only because it allowed for the rapid dissemination of images and ideas to people who might have never seen a painting except in a church, but also because of the necessary element of interpretation that was involved in recreating the image in a different medium. For example, the intensely detailed mountains, sun rays, and multiplicity of muscles in Matham’s engraving, only vaguely hinted at in Van Haarlem’s painting, create the potential to beguile the viewer’s imagination by heightening sensory input in a way that the painting would not, leading to the prospect of multiple interpretations.
David Avery, Printmaker
More Context
Jacob Matham’s print of<em> Apollo as Sol</em> is roughly the same size as Cornelis’s preparatory study for it. Matham was both stepson and apprentice to the preeminent Dutch engraver Hendrick Goltzius, and his early work shows his indebtedness to his teacher’s virtuoso manner. Apollo’s exaggerated musculature is more defined in Matham’s print than in Cornelis’s oil sketch, allying it more closely to Goltzius’s 1588 engraving of the god, and the landscape is more detailed than Cornelis’s vague background. This rare first state, which names Cornelis as “inventor” and Matham as “engraver,” was printed before the name of the publisher was added. It bears a caption in both Latin and Dutch likening the sun god to a prince and a jewel. The poet’s use of the vernacular implies that the engraving would have been intended not only for a scholarly audience but also for a broader public. <br>
Information
ca. 1591
