Le triomphe de Galatée

Galatea stands atop a large shell-chariot pulled by dolphins, her cloak billowing in the wind as she holds the reins. She is accompanied by muscular Tritons blowing conch shells and embracing sea nymphs, while three cupids aim arrows from the clouds and a fourth swims alongside a dolphin. This engraving is a virtuoso reproduction by Goltzius of Raphael's famous 1512 fresco in the Villa Farnesina.

This work represents the Northern Mannerist reception of High Renaissance Neoplatonism, where the figure of Galatea was interpreted as a symbol of the soul’s aspiration toward divine beauty and celestial love. The print facilitated the spread of these philosophical and aesthetic ideals from Italy to the intellectual circles of the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire.