Top row, left to right
Plate 1: The Annunciation
Plate 2: The Visitation
Plate 3: The Adoration of the Shepherds
Bottom row, left to right
Plate 4: The Circumcision
Plate 5: The Adoration of the Magi
Plate 6: The Holy Family with Infant Saint John
These six images represent Goltzius' Meisterstiche (or "Master Prints"). Despite a devastating childhood burn that caused permanent damage to his right hand, Goltzius mastered the medium of engraving to build a career as a mutable artist; he was described by one of his colleagues as 'Proteus,' after the shape-shifting ancient Greek water god, for his ability to imitate the hands or artistic styles of other well-known early modern artists. In fact, each scene in the series, representing an episode in the life of the Virgin Mary, is a mimetic exercise wherein Goltzius' lines manifest characteristic styles of other artists, without explicitly copying any existing compositions. (JS)