Ordinis Benedictini monialis; Saint Thecla of Kitzengen
c 1650. Etching with engraving on cream laid paper with an indiscernible watermark with a "G," 11 3/8 x 7 inches (286 x 176 mm) (sheet), full margins. In good condition with an expertly repaired vertical edge tear extending approximately 2-inches upward from the bottom-center sheet edge, not affecting the image. Expertly laid down to a cream wove matrix. All condition issues consistent with age.
As per the British Museum, this image is related to a series of costumes of monks and nuns of various religious orders by Hollar and King, made for Dugdale's "The Antiquities of Warwickshire Illustrated," and other publications. According to Richard Pennington in his reference, A descriptive catalogue of the etched work of Wenceslaus Hollar (Cambridge, 1982), this print should have the signature 'D. King sculp' at lower right, this being the only part of the plate etched by Hollar.
The subject has been identified as Saint Thecla of Kitzengen, a Benedictine nun and abbess. Born in England, she went to Germany to assist Saint Boniface in his missionary labours. She died in c790 at Kitzingen Abbey of natural causes. She is also known as Thecla of England, Tecla, and Heilga.
Item number: 1349
Price: $600.00
Share: