Hans baldung grien

Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist

A masterpiece of German chiaroscuro, this woodcut is one of Hans Baldung Grien's best known prints, produced soon after his move to Strasbourg from Nuremberg, where he had worked as a journeyman with Albrecht Dürer from about 1503 to 1507

Inscription: Artist's monogram inscribed on the lower left corner: [intertwined HGB]Marking: Stamped in black ink on recto lower right corner: a four-petal flower (not recorded in Lugt); stamped in black ink on verso lower left: collector's mark of Paul Davidsohn (Lugt 654)

At first glance, the tradition of Påskkärring, or “Easter Hags,” seems quite innocent, but deeper study reveals a dark history, one of oppression and persecution.

Lucretia

Count Phillip the Warlike. 1517

Inscription: Recto, bottom left, in pen and brown ink: 15144 (the last 4 written in a different hand)Recto, bottom left, in pen and brown ink: 18386Verso, lower center, in graphite: Hans Leomiticus SchäufeleinVerso, lower center, in graphite, illegible wordVerso, lower center, in graphite: (?) XVI Verso, lower center, in graphite: Hans Baldung GrienVerso, bottom right corner, in graphite: 2001

Hans Baldung, called Hans Baldung Grien,, was a painter, printer, engraver, draftsman, and stained glass artist, who was considered the most gifted student of Albrecht Dürer and whose art belongs to both German Renaissance and Mannerism.