Jacob Matham,  Dutch 1571-1631-  Portrait of Hendrick Goltzius;  engravin

Lot description

Jacob Matham, Dutch 1571-1631- Portrait of Hendrick Goltzius; engraving on laid paper, with a watermark of the Arms of Württemberg (similar to Laurentius 220, Amsterdam, 1618), bears collector's stamp for Ducs d'Arenberg, Brussels and Nordkirchen, Westphalia (Lugt 567) verso, bears various later inscriptions verso, a very fine and early impression of the first state (of five), printing sharply with great depth and fine wiping marks, with thread margins or trimmed to the platemark, 21.8 x 13.2 cm. (unframed). Provenance: Ducs d'Arenberg, Brussels and Nordkirchen, Westphalia (Lugt 567); probably their sale, Christie's, London, 14 July 1902 (and following days), as part of lot 363 (£7; to Meder). Presumably with Amsler & Ruthardt, Berlin (acquired through Louis Meder). Paul Davidsohn (1839-1924), London, Vienna & Berlin (Lugt 654), probably acquired from the above; his sale, C. G. Boerner, Leipzig, 22-26 November 1920, lot 1271 ('Ausgezeichneter Abdruck des sehr seltenen ersten Zustandes, vor den Überarbeitungen des Hintergrundes, vor den Versen und vor excud, mit der Jahreszahl 1618 rechts unten. Aus Sammlung Arenberg'). Private Collection, USA. Literature: New Hollstein 242. Note: Matham was the stepson of the prominent Haarlem Mannerist artist Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), whom his mother had married in 1579 after the death of Matham's father. Matham trained with Goltzius in the latter's workshop, which he took over in 1600 when Goltzius decided to focus on painting. The present engraving, first executed in 1618, was produced after Goltzius's death, illustrating the power of his legacy, and the enduring connection between the two artists.