English Noblewoman in Winter Clothing
Medium
Etching on gray Asian paper
Dimensions
Sheet, trimmed within platemark: 8.7 × 5.9 cm (3 7/16 × 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
160064
Art Historical Context
Wenceslaus Hollar, a masterful Bohemian etcher who settled in England in 1636, created *English Noblewoman in Clothing* in 164 amid the turbulent years leading to the English Civil War This intimate etching captures the elegance of 17th-century English nobility, showcasing a woman bundled in fur-trimmed garments suited to the harsh winter. Hollar's work often documented the fashions, customs, and daily life of his adopted homeland, making this piece a vivid snapshot of Restoration-era style and social status. Rendered as an etching on rare gray Asian paper, the print measures just 8.7 × 5.9 c...
About the Artist
Wenceslaus Hollar · 1607–1677
Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was a prolific Bohemian etcher who became one of the most accomplished printmakers of the seventeenth century. Born in Prague, he trained under Matthäus Merian in Frankfurt before entering the service of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in 1636. Hollar spent most of his career in England, where he produced approximately 2,740 etchings documenting an extraordinary range...