Date of Award

7-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Art History and Visual Culture

Department

Art

First Advisor

Tiffany Hunt

Second Advisor

Steven Cody

Third Advisor

Caroline Paganussi

Abstract

This project analyzes the reception of Hendrick Goltzius’s (1558-1617) prints within the court of Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612), specifically how his technical expertise in his mythological compositions presented bodily transformation as an alchemical act. He produced images that were intellectually coded for a sophisticated audience while simultaneously capturing the viewer’s gaze and emotions. In doing so he created, alongside his contemporaries, a niche market of high demand art and enabled the "viral" circulation of collectable prints among Northern European elites. Three main topics structured my approach. First, the distinctive development of Rudolf II of Prague’s prestigious art collection, the Kunstkammer, and its relation to alchemy and control over the natural world; second, Goltzius’s virtuoso skill as a “Protean” artist and his focus on transformation in print and its place within Rudolf II’s court; and third, I focus on the mythological influence of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (8 CE) in sixteenth century Prague culture. In addition, a literature review exposes the background of this project and examines methodological approaches. With this project, I aim to contribute original insights to the evolving conversation on Northern Mannerist print culture.

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