Genius with Alphabet

1542

Sebald Beham

Associated Names
Sebald Beham

Artist, German, 1500 - 1550

This is a drawing of a winged figure with scrolling ribbons bearing letters. The image depicts a cherubic winged figure from the back, holding onto swirling ribbons that float through the air. The ribbons are inscribed with letters of the alphabet, intricately wrapped around the figure. The background is richly textured with lines. The figure appears dynamically posed with detailing in the feathers of the wings and curls of the hair. The letters on the ribbons are written in a classic serif style.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed within plate mark): 4.4 × 7.9 cm (1 3/4 × 3 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.1108

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 220, State ii/iii

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1901

  • Pauli, Gustav. Hans Sebald Beham: ein kritisches Verzeichnis seiner Kupferstiche, Radierungen und Holzschnitte. Studien zur deutschen Kunstgeschichte_ 33. Strasbourg: J.H. Ed. Heitz, 1901: no. 233, ii/iii.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Sebald Beham, Anne Röver-Kann, author). Ouderkerk aan den Ijssel: Sound & Vision Publishers, 2024: no. 220, ii/iii.

Wikidata ID

Q64961554

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