← Wenceslaus Hollar

Bearded Man with Chain Necklace, possibly from "A Collection of Original Etchings"

Original title: Bearded man with chain necklace, possibly from "A Collection of Original Etchings"

Artist

Wenceslaus Hollar

Date

1647

Medium

Etching; third state of three (NH); late impression

Dimensions

Plate: 4 1/4 in. × 3 in. (10.8 × 7.6 cm) Sheet: 8 1/16 × 6 5/16 in. (20.5 × 16.1 cm)

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1918

kurzbeschreibung

A bearded man appears in profile, wearing a flat cap and a necklace with a cross. Wenceslaus Hollar etched this portrait in 1647; this is a late impression of the third of three states.

Description

In profile, the man gazes thoughtfully, his face framed by a dense, long, wavy beard, his forehead bare and neat. A broad, flat cap sits on his head; around his neck runs a chain with a cross pendant. A plain, dark background surrounds the figure and makes it stand out; at the top of the sheet are lines of text with details about the work and its publication.

Context

Hollar, a Bohemian etcher, was active in England in the 17th century and in 1647, the year this print was made, worked for various publishers. The portrait may belong to the collection 'A Collection of Original Etchings'. A late impression of the third state is presented here.

Impact

The serious, focused expression and the spare dark setting give the portrait an intimate, collected mood. Finely graded hatching makes the face detailed yet still.

Technique

Etching, an intaglio process in which lines are bitten into a copper plate, this print shows Hollar's typical precise linework with fine hatching. The print remains monochrome in black and white.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)