Knabe auf einem Grab schlafend (Boy sleeping on a grave)
probably 1803
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Image: 3 1/16 × 4 1/2 in. (7.8 × 11.4 cm) Sheet: 5 1/16 × 7 13/16 in. (12.8 × 19.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.35
Art Historical Context
This delicate woodcut, titled *Knabe auf einem Grab schlafend* (Boy Sleeping on a Grave), dates to around 1803 and is to the German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich, with the print likely executed by Christian Friedrich. Created during the early years of the 19th century, it reflects the Romantic movement’s deep fascination with mortality, nature, and the inner life of the individual. Friedrich’s work often explored themes of transience and spiritual reflection, and this small print captures those ideas through its quiet, contemplative scene. The woodcut medium, with its bold yet intima...