Hendrick Goltzius, who was active mainly in Haarlem, was not only one of the greatest and most gifted draughtsmen in the history of art, but an engraver whose fame has never dimmed, and an accomplished painter. He was also one of the key figures in the development of the chiaroscuro woodcut. His woodcuts form an indispensable part of any survey of the greatest achievements of graphic art, and are eagerly sought after by collectors and museums.\nA chiaroscuro woodcut is an impression of two or more woodblocks, generally one line block and various tone blocks, which are printed on top of each other. The result is a colour print, usually in various shades of a single colour, which may look like a pen-and-wash drawing or an oil sketch. Some are printed on cloth, or paper textured like cloth, which adds to their painterly effect. As such, and because of their monumental impact, they were ideal for hanging on a wall as substitutes for oil paintings.\nIn the catalogue Chiaroscuro Woodcuts. Hendrick Goltzius and his Time, all the woodcuts associated with Goltzius's name are described in detail and reproduced in various colour combinations. Particular attention has been paid to technical data and the description of states, and the discussion also embraces iconography and stylistic evolution. The locations of rare prints are meticulously recorded, as are those of any prints held in a number of key collections. Numerous plates bring out the variety of colour displayed in these woodcuts, and also reproduce related drawings and alternative impressions.\nIn order to highlight Goltzius's role in the development of the technique, the book includes a discussion of prints by German and Italian artists like Hans Baldung Grien and Ugo da Carpi. More immediate precursors from the Southern Netherlands are likewise represented, including Frans Floris with some hitherto unpublished works. There are also prints by contemporaries who chose the medium of the chiaroscuro woodcut under Goltzius's influence. The vogue he initiated even led to two masterly woodcuts by Albrecht Durer, Rhinoceros and the superb Portrait of Ulrich Varnbuler, which were republished in the Netherlands a century after their origin in the chiaroscuro technique using freshly cut tone blocks. This practice is also discussed.\nThe book is being published to coincide with an exhibition in the Rijksprentenkabinet in Amsterdam, which can be seen from 14 November 1992 to 10 January 1993. This exhibition, for which loans have been obtained from various European and American collections, will contain impressions, in various colour combinations, of all the prints discussed, among them seven impressions of the powerful Hercules and Cacus of 1588. The exhibition has been organized in collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (USA), where it will be on view from 9 February to 11 April 1993.