Bray's Chapel in St. George's Chapel, Windsor (from Elias Ashmole's "The Institution, Laws & Ceremonies of the most Noble Order of the Garter," London 1672)
Medium
Etching; first state of two
Dimensions
Plate: 11 11/16 × 8 1/4 in. (29.7 × 21 cm) Sheet: 12 7/8 × 9 5/16 in. (32.7 × 23.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.72.111
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Wenceslaus Hollar's *Bray's Chapel in. George's Chapel, Windsor (1663), the first state of two, the intricate Gothic architecture of this historic site with remarkable precision. A master etcher from Bohemia who worked extensively in England, Hollar was renowned for his topographical views and detailed reproductions of buildings, landscapes, and antiquities. This print, measuring about 12 x 9 inches on its sheet, showcases his ability to render stonework, arches, and ornamental details in fine lines, making architecture leap off the page. Created for Elias Ashmole's seminal 1672 publication *The Institution, Laws & Ceremonies of the most Noble Order of the Garter*, the etching documents Bray's Chapel within Windsor's St. George's Chapel—the spiritual heart of England's oldest order of chivalry, founded by Edward III in 1348. Ashmole's lavishly illustrated book preserved the Order's rituals, heraldry, and history amid the Restoration era, blending scholarship with visual splendor. As an etching, this work highlights 17th-century printmaking's role in disseminating architectural knowledge before photography. Hollar's meticulous technique—using acid to bite lines into a copper plate—allowed for subtle textures and depth, influencing later antiquarian studies. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it invites visitors to explore Stuart England's reverence for medieval heritage.
About the Artist
Wenceslaus Hollar · 1607–1677
Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was a prolific Bohemian etcher who became one of the most accomplished printmakers of the seventeenth century. Born in Prague, he trained under Matthäus Merian in Frankfurt before entering the service of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in 1636. Hollar spent most of his career in England, where he produced approximately 2,740 etchings documenting an extraordinary range...