The Story of Niobe

On the right, Apollo and Artemis emerge from dark clouds, discharging arrows at the terrified Niobids who tumble from their horses. The left side of the composition shows Niobe and her daughters in despair, surrounded by heavy drapery and architectural elements. The engraving features the exaggerated musculature and dynamic, twisting poses typical of the late 16th-century Dutch style.

Based on Ovid's Metamorphoses, the story of Niobe was a central Renaissance allegory for the dangers of hubris and the inevitability of divine retribution. Hendrick Goltzius, a key figure in the Haarlem Mannerist circle, used such classical myths to explore the relationship between human physical form and the overwhelming power of the Olympian deities.