Emperor Matthias
1651 to 1700
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 20.1 × 13.2 cm (7 15/16 × 5 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.14.856
Art Historical Context
This engraving of Emperor Matthias, created by Wolfgang Philipp Kilian between 1651 and 1700, offers a glimpse into the enduring legacy of one of the Holy Roman Empire’s notable rulers. Matthias reigned from 1612 to 1619, a period marked by religious tensions that would soon erupt into the Thirty Years’ War. Though produced decades after his death, the print reflects the continued interest in imperial portraiture during the late seventeenth century, when such images helped preserve and circulate the memory of significant historical figures. Kilian, a member of a prominent family of German eng...