Titelblatt, from the series "Radierte Skizzen"

Titelblatt, from the series "Radierte Skizzen" by Max Klinger

Medium

Etching and aquatint on chine collé

Dimensions

Image: 14 15/16 × 10 7/16 in. (38 × 26.5 cm) Sheet: 19 7/8 × 14 3/4 in. (50.5 × 37.5 cm)

Classification

Prints

Department

Drawings and Prints

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Edward Robinson, 1952

Accession Number

52.594.15

Tags

Female NudesCrocodilesMoon

Art Historical Context

Max Klinger's *Titelblatt* serves as the evocative title page for his series *Radierte Skzen* (Etched Sketches), testament to the German artist's mastery of printmaking in the late 19th century Klinger (1857–1920), a key figure in Symbolism, blended realism with fantastical elements, drawing from Romanticism and Japonisme to explore dreams, mythology, and the subconscious. This undated etching captures his penchant for surreal vignettes, featuring female nudes, menacing crocodiles, and a luminous moon—symbols evoking eroticism, danger, and cosmic mystery. The medium of etching and aquatint on...

About the Artist

Max Klinger · 18571920

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 ...

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