Saint Barbara
Medium
aquatint in dark green and etching in black
Dimensions
mount: 48.6 × 33.4 cm (19 1/8 × 13 1/8 in.) sheet (trimmed within platemark): 18.7 × 14 cm (7 3/8 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1948.11.279
Art Historical Context
This delicate print captures Saint Barbara, the early Christian martyr often shown with her symbolic tower, in a reproduction after Albrecht Altdorfer’s original design. Created between 1782 and 1785 by Johann Gottlieb Prestel, the work reflects the eighteenth-century fascination with Northern Renaissance masters. Altdorfer, a leading figure of the Danube School, was celebrated for his inventive landscapes and expressive religious scenes; Prestel’s faithful translation brings these qualities to a wider audience through the reproductive printmaking practices of his day. Executed in aquatint pr...