Reliquary with Pietà

c. 1490-1536

Daniel Hopfer

Associated Names
Daniel Hopfer

Artist, German, c. 1470 - 1536

The artwork consists of detailed lines and intricate shapes arranged in an abstract composition. The shapes resemble floral patterns and human figures, with a central scene showing a group of people. Above the central figures, there are smaller angelic forms and decorative scrolls, forming a symmetrical structure topped with a figure holding a staff. The composition is framed with swirling leaves and abstract embellishments, reminiscent of a tapestry or decorative frieze showcasing a blend of reality and myth.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching (iron), plate bitten twice

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 22.6 x 15.6 cm (8 7/8 x 6 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1979.44.7

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hollstein, no. 23, State i/iii

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1994

  • Fanciful Flourishes: Ornament in European Graphic Art and Related Objects, 1300-1800, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994.

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. 93.

Bibliography

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts ca. 1400-1700. Amsterdam: A.L. van Gendt, 1986; Vol. XV, 23, i/iii.

2009

  • Metzger, Christof. Daniel Hopfer: ein Augsburger Meister der Renaissance : Eisenradierungen, Holzschnitte, Zeichnungen, Waffenätzungen. München: Staatliche Graphische Sammlung; Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2009, no. 37, i/iii.

Wikidata ID

Q65567409

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