Minerva

Details

Circle of Hendrick Goltzius (Mulbrecht 1558-1617 Haarlem)
Minerva
oil on panel
12¼ x 10 in. (31.2 x 25.4 cm.)

Provenance

Duchesse de la Motte Houdancourt.
Anon. Sale, Christie's, London, 7 July 1943, lot 166.
James O. Belden, Washington, D.C..

Special notice

This lot has no reserve. Christie's generally offers property consigned by others for sale at public auction. From time to time, lots are offered which Christie's or an affiliate company owns in whole or part. Each lot of such property is offered subject to a reserve. This is such a lot.

Lot Essay

The present work depicting Minerva (Athena) recalls one of the four printed images of deities executed in 1596, probably by Goltzius, as part of a series. This was made up of three goddesses (Venus, Juno, and Minerva) and Hymenaeus, the Greek god of marriage. Bartsch ascribes the whole series to Saendredam (B. 62), but Hirschmann gives them to Hendrick Goltzius whose monogram appears on the images (H. 139). The series is dedicated to Johannes Barritius, privy councellor and secretary to the Emperor Rudolf II.

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