Triumphal Altar with Stages in the Life of Christ

1518

Daniel Hopfer

Associated Names
Daniel Hopfer

Artist, German, c. 1470 - 1536

This is a drawing of a complex architectural structure featuring religious iconography and figures. The drawing depicts a multi-tiered altar-like structure adorned with numerous intricately carved figures and symbols. At the base, a group of figures is seated in a gathering, surrounded by ornate columns and classical decorative elements. Above this scene, there is a depiction of a crucifixion with figures flanking each side, and further up, saints or ecclesiastical figures appear to be standing guard at the pinnacle of the structure. The entire composition is highly detailed, and the architectural elements are rich with leaves, masks, and other classical motifs. The vertical composition emphasizes the grandeur and intricate detailing of the structure.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching (iron) with open biting, plate bitten twice, on 2 joined sheets of laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (joined): 62.5 x 21.6 cm (24 5/8 x 8 1/2 in.)
    sheet (top): 32 x 17.3 cm (12 5/8 x 6 13/16 in.)
    sheet (bottom): 30.7 x 21.6 cm (12 1/16 x 8 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1998.51.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hollstein, no. 28, State i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Louis Galichon [1829-1893), Paris (Lugt 1060); Robert Prouté [born 1898], Paris (Lugt 2859e); (Paul Prouté, Paris); purchased 1998 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2012

  • Imperial Augsburg: Renaissance Prints and Drawings, 1475-1540, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, TX; Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, 2012-2014, no. 23.

Bibliography

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts ca. 1400-1700. Amsterdam: A.L. van Gendt, 1986; Vol. XV, 28, i/ii.

2009

  • Metzger, Christof. Daniel Hopfer: ein Augsburger Meister der Renaissance : Eisenradierungen, Holzschnitte, Zeichnungen, Waffenätzungen. München: Staatliche Graphische Sammlung; Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2009, no. 34, i/ii.

Inscriptions

lower center in plate: DH

Wikidata ID

Q75418510

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