Besnijdenis van Christus

A monumental church interior, modeled after the St. Bavo Cathedral in Haarlem, provides the backdrop for the circumcision of the Christ child. Figures fill the foreground and middle ground, with a self-portrait of the artist, Hendrick Goltzius, visible on the far right wearing a beard and a tall hat. The engraving uses dense, rhythmic line work specifically designed to emulate the technical style of the German master Albrecht Dürer.

This print is part of a series where Goltzius demonstrated his 'Protean' ability to mimic other masters, a concept tied to the Neoplatonic and Hermetic idea of the artist as a divinely-inspired creator who can transform his own nature. The blending of the biblical past with the artist's contemporary Dutch setting reflects the Northern Humanist effort to bridge sacred history with the present day.