Goltzius, initially a line engraver, was active in woodcut between about 1585 to c1600, when he abandoned printmaking for painting.
The most important exponent of the chiaroscuro woodcut in the Netherlands, almost all his woodcuts are chiaroscuros. Frequently in the first state (just the line block), impressions were printed onto blue paper, and then sometimes heightened with white body colour, to resemble drawings. The tone blocks were only added later.
Goltzius spent the year 1590-91 in Italy, where he would have seen Italian examples of the chiaroscuro technique.
This is one of the series of 'four small landscapes', signed with the monogram in the line block and printed in black and two shades of green. This example with the usual two fine cracks in the line block, and gaps in the borderline, which all the colour versions have. Trimmed to or inside the borderline and laid down to support a couple of tears. A short touched diagonal abraded line at the very top. A few accidental white spots in the cloud centre right edge. A partial watermark, probably the typical caduceus, but difficult to determine, the print being laid down.