53 JOSEPH HEINTZ THE ELDER Swiss, 1564­1609 The Toilet of Venus Red and black chalk 21.5 x 15.1 cm (8½ x 5 15/16 in.) Cat. Ill, no. 67; 91.GB.66 In 1592, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II of Prague sent Heintz, his court painter, to Rome to make drawings of antiquities and to acquire works of art for the imperial collections. Heintz was probably still in Rome when he executed this drawing, which is signed and dated 1594. The prominent signature and the high degree of finish indicate that the drawing was probably made as a work of art in its own right. Under a parted curtain in her boudoir, Venus combs her long tresses. A highly unusual feature is the female cherub holding the mirror, who replaces Cupid, Venus's normal attendant. The ornamental gracefulness of the figures and the velvety surfaces created by the subtle modeling in chalk are typical of Heintz's manner. He was particularly attracted to the work of the sixteenth­century Italian masters Correggio and Parmigianino, gleaning elements from their styles as well as from other artists to produce softly sensuous, often erotic, imagery. The blending of red and black chalk, which had an extensive prior history in Italian draftsmanship, is used with exceptional mastery by Heintz, both here and in other drawings. GERMAN AND SWISS SCHOOLS 67