Netherlandish Mannerism

In the mid-1500s, Antwerp was the cultural and intellectual capital of the Netherlands and Mannerism flourished there. Toward the end of the 1500s, the war for independence from Spain caused the artistic and commercial center of the Netherlands to shift to Holland, especially the cities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Haarlem. An important school of Mannerism thrived in Haarlem from about 1580 to 1610, lead by painter and master engraver Hendrick Goltzius. Goltzius's depictions of human figures were influenced by the exaggerated musculature, elongated proportions, and twisted poses he found in works by Michelangelo and Bartholomaeus Spranger (1546-1611). Spranger was the court painter to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II in Prague. Goltzius and his followers, Jacob Matham, Jan Muller, Jacques de Gheyn II, and Jan Saenredam developed a style that combined Netherlandish and Italian sources into the movement known as International Mannerism.

Cornelis Cort (Dutch, 1530-1578)

Jesus Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene (after Giulio Clovio), 1567 Engraving

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Meals 1979.131

Dutch printmaker Cornelius Cort is known for his reproductive prints after Italian artists. Working in collaboration with the Antwerp print publisher Hieronymus Cock, he earned a reputation as the most significant engraver of designs by Titian. His technique, emphasizing volume and texture through the use of tapering and swelling lines, was very influential for artists of