Spring
1643–44
Medium
Etching; second state of two
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (26.7 × 19 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Barbara E. Fox, in memory of Howard A. Fox MD, 2018
Accession Number
2018.846.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Wenceslaus Hollar *Spring* (1643–44) is a delicate etching capturing the essence of renewal through the graceful figure of a woman, emblematic of the season. Created during Hollar's time in England, where he as an engraver for King Charles I this second state of two refinements to the plate, showcasing the artist's meticulous process. Measuring 10 1/2 × 7 1/2 inches, the print exemplifies Hollar's mastery of etching—a technique where acid etches lines into a metal plate for intricate, reproducible detail—allowing widespread dissemination of elegant imagery in the Baroque era. As a Bohemian ar...
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...