Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileFries met de bestraffing van Niobe
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
This expansive engraving illustrates the tragic climax of the myth of Niobe, who claimed superiority over the goddess Leto because of her fourteen children. On the far left, Apollo and Artemis emerge from the clouds with bows drawn, systematically slaying Niobe's sons and daughters, who are shown in a variety of dramatic, muscular, and contorted poses across the landscape. The print is a meticulous reconstruction of a lost 16th-century Roman facade painting by Polidoro da Caravaggio.
This work is a cornerstone of Haarlem Mannerism, reflecting the movement's focus on 'Ovidius Moralizatus'—the interpretation of classical myth as moral and philosophical allegory. In the context of the Western tradition, the story of Niobe served as a potent warning against the spiritual blindness caused by pride (hubris) and the inescapable reach of divine justice.