Neureuther (Self-Portrait in the Etching Studio)
Medium
etching on wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 26.2 x 20.4 cm (10 5/16 x 8 1/16 in.) sheet: 34.1 x 25.8 cm (13 7/16 x 10 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
2005.20.2
Art Historical Context
In the heart of his etching studio, Eugen Napoleon Neureuther captures himself at work in this intimate 1839 self-portrait, a testament to the Romantic artist's deep bond with his craft. Neureuther (18061882), a prominent German printmaker and illustrator known for his delicate fairy-tale vignettes and landscapes inspired by the Brothers Grimm, here reveals the meticulous world of printmaking. The etching depicts him surrounded by tools and copper plates, embodying the 19th-century ideal of the artist as a solitary genius immersed in creation. Executed as an etching on wove paper—a smooth, fi...