Read the visual description
The image shows the upper half of an elderly man with long hair and a lengthy beard, seated at a table. His face is marked with deep lines, and he is wearing a loose garment. In front of him, there is an open book with text on the pages, and he is holding a string of prayer beads in his left hand. A crucifix, a small container, and some fruit are on the table. The background features detailed foliage.
National Gallery of Art · Print
A Hermit Saint
Karel Frantisek Töpper
- Medium
- etching on laid paper
- Dimensions
- plate: 11.5 x 7.9 cm (4 1/2 x 3 1/8 in.) sheet: 12.1 x 8.4 cm (4 3/4 x 3 5/16 in.)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 2007.117.2
- Credit line
- Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
- Time span
- 1651 to 1700
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- etching
- saints
- religious
- Czech
Provenance
Graf Franz Jozef von Enzenberg (1802 - 1879) (Lugt 845). Unidentified private collector (Soldan?) not in Lugt. Thomas Graf, Berlin (1878 - 1951) (Lugt 1092a). (Paul McCarron, New York); purchased 2007 by NGA.
Inscription
lower left in image: Töpper Inv et fecit / Sicut Passer solitarus in tecto PSal. [From Psalms 101: 8: I have become as a sparrow all alone on the housetop]; by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: Töepper Ga [undeciphered]... und 17 Jahrhundert Labordi [undeciphered] PM-00-26
NGA object ID 139758. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.