View of La Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps / Descriptio Maioris Cartusiæ Montium, et Ædificiorum dependentium
Medium
Etching; first state of two
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 9/16 × 16 5/16 in. (29.4 × 41.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.81.2.180
Tags
Art Historical Context
Wenceslaus Hollar, masterful Bohemian etcher renowned for his intricate topographical views, created this stunning *View of La Grande Chart in the French Alps* 1649, with contributions from Antonius de la. This first-state etching the dramatic majesty of the Carthusian order's mother house, perched amid the rugged French Alps. Founded in 1084, La Grande Chartreuse symbolized spiritual isolation and monastic rigor, drawing pilgrims and artists alike to its remote splendor. Hollar's etching, measuring 11 9/16 × 16 5/16 inches, exemplifies 17th-century printmaking at its finest. Using fine lines...
About the Artist
Wenceslaus Hollar|Antonius de la Halle · 1607–1677
Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was a prolific Bohemian etcher who became one of the most accomplished printmakers of the seventeenth century. Born in Prague, he trained under Matthäus Merian in Frankfurt before entering the service of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in 1636. Hollar spent most of his career in England, where he produced approximately 2,740 etchings documenting an extraordinary range...