Saint Barbara

1782-1785

Johann Gottlieb Prestel after Albrecht Altdorfer

Associated Names
Johann Gottlieb Prestel

Artist, German, 1739 - 1808

Albrecht Altdorfer

Artist After, German, 1480 or before - 1538

The image depicts a person in a standing position, seen in profile facing right. They have delicate facial features with a distinct nose and lips, styled hair adorned with a headpiece resembling a crown or tiara. The person is wearing a long gown with detailed drapery, holding a tall, ornate goblet or chalice. The background is simple with foliage or bushes to the side. The scene is framed within a bordered mat.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    aquatint in dark green and etching in black

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    mount: 48.6 × 33.4 cm (19 1/8 × 13 1/8 in.)
    sheet (trimmed within platemark): 18.7 × 14 cm (7 3/8 × 5 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1948.11.279

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, undescribed

  • Series Title

    Dessins des meilleurs Peintres d'Italie, d'Allemagne et des Pay-Bas Tirés de divers célebres Cabinets (Drawings by the Best Painters of Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, Taken from Various Famous Cabinets) [plate 21]

Associated Artworks

See all 36 artworks
This is a drawing of three armored figures holding spears. The scene shows detailed figures in medieval armor with spears. The central figure appears animated, perhaps gesturing or speaking. Each figure is intricately detailed, revealing their armor and expressions. The background is minimal, with light lines hinting at a landscape.

Three Lansquenets

Maria Catharina Prestel

1780

This is a photograph of a title page. The image displays elegant, ornate text printed in black on slightly aged, cream-colored paper. The title at the top reads "DESSINS" in large, decorative letters, followed by a smaller, script-style description that mentions the best painters from Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands, with works taken from various famous collections. The text further details that these images were engraved after the originals at the same size by Jean Théophile Prestel, listed as a painter and a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. The overall presentation suggests a historical and classical aesthetic typical of printed works from an earlier period.

Dessins des meilleurs Peintres d'Italie, d'Allemagne et des Pay-Bas Tirés de divers célebres Cabinets (Drawings by the Best Painters of Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, Taken from Various Famous Cabinets)

Johann Gottlieb Prestel, Maria Catharina Prestel, Regina Schönecker, Johann Georg Sturm, Heinrich Sebastian Hüsgen

1782

The image shows a portrait sketch of an individual with pronounced facial features, including prominent cheekbones, a strong nose, and full lips. The person's hair is voluminous with soft curls, and they are wearing a high-collared garment. The sketch is set against a plain background with a simple border and no visible jewelry or objects. The larger paper surrounding the portrait has a light-colored, textured surface with slight discolorations.

Head of a Man

Johann Gottlieb Prestel

1782

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Walter Schatzki, New York); Lessing Julius Rosenwald, Philadelphia, PA, purchased 1947; gift to NGA, 1948.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Albrecht Aldorfer, Ursula Mielke, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, undescribed.

Inscriptions

in plate, in image, lower center: 1517 AA; in plate, below image, at right: No 21.; in plate, below image, at center: Dessin d'Albert Altorfer / Du Cabinet de Monsieur de Praun à Nuremberg.; in plate, below image, at left: H. S. H. excud.; in plate, below image, at right: J. T. Prestel sc. [lettering trimmed and pasted to verso of mount]

Wikidata ID

Q65079604

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