Graaf Jan van Beieren 1586 - 1587

Hendrick Goltzius created this print of Graaf Jan van Beieren using pen and brown ink. Goltzius was a Dutch printmaker, draughtsman, and painter, and a leading Northern Mannerist artist of the late 16th century. The portrait evokes a sense of nobility and power, reflecting the importance of lineage and status during this era. Jan van Beieren was Count of Holland, and his legacy was complicated. He abandoned the priesthood to pursue a life of secular power. The artist's approach to depicting van Beieren raises questions about how power is visually constructed. How does the artist use details of clothing and bearing to convey authority? Is he trying to create an image of authority, despite the Count's controversial past? These are the sorts of questions that invite us to consider the relationship between representation, identity, and historical narrative.