Artwork
Exempel und Lehr Jetziger Welt Lauf
Exempel und Lehr Jetziger Welt Lauf is an ink print by the Baroque artist Andreas Bretschneider III. It dates from 1622 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Andreas Bretschneider III’s 1622 etching *Exempel und Lehr Jetziger Welt Lauf* presents a compact interior populated by two slumped figures. The scene is densely packed with objects—a bag, a book, a broken column—rendered in stark, angular lines that give the space a claustrophobic feel.
Subject & Meaning
The two men, one in an elaborate hat with a ruffled collar and the other crowned, appear weary and downcast. Their posture and the surrounding debris suggest a moralizing tableau, likely intended as a cautionary illustration of the hardships and transience of worldly existence.
Technique & Style
Executed as an etching, the work relies on fine, incised lines to delineate fabric folds, facial expressions, and the texture of the cramped setting. The artist’s precise line work creates a high level of detail, while the contrast between light and shadow heightens the sense of tension within the composition.
History & Provenance
Created in 1622, the print is attributed to the third generation of the Bretschneider family of engravers. No further ownership records are presently documented, and the work remains a representative example of early‑17th‑century German printmaking.
Artist & collection
