Bernhard, Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Udalric and Afra in Augsburg

Art Historical Context

This 1662 engraving portrays Bernhard, the abbot of the Monastery of Saints Ulrich and Afra in Augsburg, capturing a figure of religious authority from the Baroque era in southern Germany. Created by Bartholomäus Kilian after a design by Johann Heinrich Schön, the print reflects the period’s interest in commemorating ecclesiastical leaders through reproducible imagery. Such portraits often served both devotional and documentary purposes, preserving the likeness and status of prominent church figures for wider audiences. Executed as an engraving on laid paper, the work highlights the technical precision of 17th-centurymaking. Engraving allowed for intricate line work and tonal subtlety, making it ideal for detailed reproductions that could circulate beyond the monastery walls. Kilian, a skilled Augsburg engraver, translated Schönfeld’s original composition into a format that combined artistic refinement with accessibility. Housed in the National Gallery of Art’s Rosenwald Collection, modest yet elegant sheet (measuring roughly 8¼ by 5⅜ inches) exemplifies how prints bridged fine art and popular devotion during the Counter-Reformation. It offers viewers today a glimpse into the cultural and spiritual life of Augsburg’s monastic community in the mid-1600s.