Three drawings of a man's head

Hendrik Goltzius

Summary

A reproduction produced by the Vasari Society of a drawing by Hendrik Goltzius. The drawing shows three studies of a man's head. The man has a moustache and a beard, and is wearing a hat and a ruff in each of the three studies. The head towards the bottom right is more finished than the other two. This drawing is on the same sheet as 1933.408. Text from the accompanying booklet produced by the Vasari Society (recto is 1933.407; verso is 1933.408): "Nos. 14, 15 HENDRIK GOLTZIUS (b. 1558; d. 1616) Recto. THREE DRAWINGS OF A MAN'S HEAD (Jan van Duvenvoorde?) Verso. HALF-LENGTH PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN Gold paint on prepared greyish-green tablet: from the Malcolm, Robinson, and Scarisbrick Collections. J. C. R. 563. 15 x 13.2 cm. (5 7/8 x 5 1/4 in.). The three drawings on the recto side of the tablet represent the same personage seen from different points of view. The features correspond closely with those in a small engraving by Goltzius (B. 200) inscribed MODERATA DURANT, AETAT. SUAE 32 H. Goltzius fec. 1580. The inscription on the drawing in a hand of last century, 'Hendrik Goltzius ipse fecit An 1590 oude 52 Jaar,' may be disregarded, unless the dates are copied from an older inscription with the slight misreading 52 for 32, which would strengthen the connexion with the engraved portrait. This latter is identified by Wiegel (suppl. to Bartsch, col. i, p. 99) as either Gijsbert or Jan van Duvenvoorde. As Gijsbert was born in 1540, we must take it to represent Jan (b. 1547) of whom there is also an authenticated engraving by Goltzius (B. 167), which shows sufficient resemblance to the drawing and to the engraving B. 200 to support this identification (if indeed it was not the origin of it).¹ The verso bears the portrait of a young man standing half length, apparently holding a pike or standard in his right hand. The face shows some resemblance to that in the unidentified engraved portrait (B. 193) inscribed STANTVASTICH TEN EYNDE, AETAT. XX 1579, H. Goltzius f. On the jerkin of the figure in the drawing is the inscription Heigh or Huigh, which is apparently the name of the toung man, in Goltzius' own hand.² Underneath, in the same modern hand as the writing on the recto, 'Huig, vaandrig (ensign) der Burgery v. Haarlem.' 'Huig' is probably copied from the writing on the jerkin and the description made up from the attitude of the figure, but it may have more substantial foundation. The registers of the Haarlem Guilds are not preserved before 1594, so that it is impossible to gain any further information as to the person's identity. ¹ For biographies of Gijsbert and Jan van Duvenvoorde, see Molhuysen and Blok, Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek, vol. i. (1911), pp. 770 and 773: an engraved portrait of Gijsbert by Goltzius (after a piece at Hoorn) must, however, be B. 200 and represent Jan. ² Cf. signature in Van der Willigen, Les Artistes de Haarlem, and drawing in the Print Room of the British Museum with letter, dated 1606. [Information kindly communicated by Mr. N. Beets.] A. E. P."