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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileEach engraving features a monumental figure of an apostle or saint in the foreground, identified by their traditional iconographic attributes. In the background, smaller narrative scenes depict the miraculous deeds and the specific, often violent, methods of martyrdom each figure suffered. The series is characterized by the swelling line work and muscular anatomy typical of late sixteenth-century Dutch Mannerism.
Hendrick Goltzius was the leading figure of the Haarlem Mannerists, a circle whose interest in complex allegory and technical virtuosity deeply influenced the visual culture of the Western esoteric tradition. While religious in theme, these engravings represent the high-water mark of the 'Esoteric Engravers' whose mastery of the burin allowed for the later visualization of complex Hermetic and alchemical concepts in the 17th century.
S. Petrus S. Andreas S. Iacobus S. Ioannes S. Thomas S. Iacobus S. Philippus S. Bartholomaeus S. Matthaeus S. Simon S. Matthias S. Paulus [Sample text from Plate 1]: Dira ferens Christus sub iudice flagra Pilato Supplicij accepit calicem, mortemq; subivit: Ut foret elueret virus mortale Draconis, Omne suo patiens peccatum sanguine daret.
Karel van Mander
Van Mander was Goltzius's contemporary and biographer; his 'Schilder-boeck' provides the primary art-theoretical framework for the Haarlem Mannerist style seen here.
The Apostles' Creed
Apostle series like this were traditionally intended to illustrate the twelve articles of the Creed.
Object
Engraving
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Cleveland Museum of Art
Public domain
3400 × 1505 px
bd44cbc6e7a71e69409cc60913071797473ad33a
December 24, 2020
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.