Studies for headpieces and vignettes in the book, Amor und Psyche (Opus V)
1878
Medium
Pen and ink on blue paper
Dimensions
sheet: 7 x 4 in. (17.8 x 10.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
From the Robert Isaacson Collection, Gift of James David Draper, 2001
Accession Number
2001.621
Tags
Art Historical Context
Max Klinger's *Studies for headpieces and in the book, Amor und Psyche (Opus V)*, created in 1878, offers a glimpse into the preparatory genius of this German Symbolist artist. These delicate pen and ink drawings on blue paper, measuring just 7 x 4 inches, served as designs for the ornamental headpieces and vignettes in Klinger's ambitious print cycle inspired by the ancient myth of Cupid (Amor) and Psyche. The tags—birds, men, women,, and flowers—evoke a whimsical, fantastical world blending human figures with nature, capturing the tale's themes of love, transformation, and divine intrigue. ...
About the Artist
Max Klinger · 1857–1920
Max Klinger, born on February 18, 1857, in Leipzig to a wealthy family, emerged as one of Germany's most innovative artists across painting, sculpture, printmaking, and graphics. Demonstrating early talent, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe in 1874 as a pupil of Karl Gussow, following his teacher to the Berlin Academy upon Gussow's appointment as director, and graduated in 1877 ...