The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.17.148
Art Historical Context
Step into the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection to discover *The Parable of the Husbandmen*, a compelling 1549 etching by Hirschvogel. This German Renaissance artist from Nuremberg, known for his multifaceted talents as an engraver, cartographer, and designer, captured a pivotal biblical scene from Matthew 21:33–46. The parable recounts a vineyard owner whose tenants murder his servants and son, symbolizing humanity's rejection of God's prophets Christ—a theme resonant in the turbulent religious climate of the Protestant Reformation. Hirschvogel's mastery shines in this intricate...
About the Artist
Augustin Hirschvogel · 1503–1553
Augustin Hirschvogel (1503–1553) was born in Nuremberg into a prominent family of stained-glass painters who dominated the city's glass workshops during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The son of Veit Hirschvogel the Elder (1461–1525), Nuremberg's official glazier who executed designs after Albrecht Dürer and Hans von Kulmbach, Augustin trained as a glass painter in his father's workshop. ...