Minerva vraagt Nijd om jaloezie in Aglauros te ontsteken 1590 - 1728

Hendrick Goltzius created this print, "Minerva asks Envy to ignite jealousy in Aglauros," sometime before his death in 1617. The work, primarily defined by its stark monochromatic palette, uses densely packed lines to articulate form and shadow. The composition divides into distinct zones: to the left, a cavernous space houses Envy, while Minerva occupies the foreground, rendered with a dynamic contrapposto that animates her stance. The undulating landscape beyond her draws the eye, its peaks and valleys echoed in the turbulent sky. Goltzius employs hatching and cross-hatching to sculpt the figures and create depth, engaging with a kind of Mannerist aesthetic that privileges complexity and artifice. The artist challenges fixed meanings, using a semiotic system of signs to explore the relationship between the figures and the landscape. The result is a commentary on human nature and morality.