Bust of a Woman Holding a Flute
Bust of a Woman Holding a Flute

Currently not on view

Bust of a Woman Holding a Flute,

ca. 1583–1617

Hendrick Goltzius, 1558–1617; born Mülbracht, Netherlands; died Haarlem, Netherlands
x1934-721.5
These circular images were printed from a two-sided medal for which there is a companion medal with a man playing the bagpipes. If placed side by side, the figures would face one another, forming a duo of fantasy portraits. The erotic potential of the pairing of male and female is heightened through the portrayal of instruments that bore sexual connotations in the sixteenth century—the flute and the bagpipes. Goltizus’s fine engraving technique is exhibited here in the woman’s three-dimensional form, in the trompe l’oeil instruments,
and in the curlicue flourishes of the script.

Information

Title
Bust of a Woman Holding a Flute
Dates

ca. 1583–1617

Maker
Hendrick Goltzius
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
plate (sheet trimmed to plate): 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Junius S. Morgan, Class of 1888
Object Number
x1934-721.5
Place Made

Europe, Netherlands

Inscription
In margin around the head, in Dutch: t'ydel berooyt Initialed on sleeve, lower left: HG
Marks/Labels/Seals
Initialed in graphite, verso bottom: J.S.M.
Reference Numbers
Hollstein 244; New Hollstein 289; Strauss 164; Weigel 355 A
Culture
Dutch, European
Type
engravings, prints
Materials
printing ink
Techniques
engraving (printing process)
Subject
flutes (aerophones), portraits, women

Junius S. Morgan [1867-1932, Lugt 1536]; bequeathed to Princeton University Art Museum, 1932.

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