The Entombment

Wenceslaus Hollar, after a follower of Hans Holbein the Younger

Associated Names
Wenceslaus Hollar

Artist, Bohemian, 1607 - 1677

Hans Holbein the Younger

Artist After, German, 1497/1498 - 1543

This is a drawing of an interaction taking place at a tomb or crypt. The scene depicts a carved box-like structure resembling a sarcophagus or altar situated under a natural stone formation or hollowed-out earth area, which is adorned with greenery. Surrounding the structure are several draped figures, likely involved in some act of offering or ritual, as they appear to interact with the sarcophagus. The figures are clad in flowing robes, rendered in fine linework that gives a sense of movement. The depiction captures a moment of solemn ritual or ceremonial action amidst a rocky, natural landscape, rendered in dense black and white hatching.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed within plate): 8.2 × 6.1 cm (3 1/4 × 2 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.4873

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 1214, State only

  • Series Title

    The Satirical Passion [Pennington 116-131]

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Fritz Rumpf [1856-1927], Potsdam (Lugt 2161); (sale, C.G. Boerner, Leipzig, May 7-9, 1928, lot 586); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b), 1928; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1982

  • Pennington, Richard. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Etched Work of Wenceslaus Hollar 1607-1677. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Wenceslaus Hollar, Simon Turner, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 1214, state only.

Wikidata ID

Q64962385

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