Letter M

c. 1523

Hans Lützelburger after Hans Holbein the Younger

Associated Names
Hans Lützelburger

Artist, German, active 1517-1526

Hans Holbein the Younger

Artist After, German, 1497/1498 - 1543

This is an image of a letter "M" with intricate details inside and around it. The central focus is a large, decorative letter "M" which encompasses a scene within its borders. To the left, a figure with a solemn expression holds up a parchment or a sheet. The character appears to be in traditional garb with pleated fabric. Adjacent to this figure, slightly behind, is an image of a skeletal figure that leans towards the central character. Behind them, there is a table with stacked books and a lit candle casting rays of light. The scene is surrounded by dense, crosshatched patterns.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.9422

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Passavant, Vol. III.373, no. 3

  • Series Title

    Alphabet of Death [1943.3.9411-9434]

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1933

  • An Exhibition of Prints from the Collection of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 1933, no. 67.

1945

  • Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 1945, no. 34.

1965

  • Master Prints from the Rosenwald Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 1965, no. 47.

1974

  • Europe in Torment: 1450-1550, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, 1974, no. 30, repro.

Bibliography

1860

  • Passavant, Johann David. Le peintre-graveur, contenant l'histoire de la gravure sur bois, sur metalet au buring jusque vers la fin du XVI siecle .... 6 vols. Leipzig: Rudolph Weigel, 1860-1864.

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts, ca. 1400-1700. Vol. XIV B. Roosendaal, 1988: no. 146.

Wikidata ID

Q65020655

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