Artwork
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Augustin Hirschvogel. It dates from 1548 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1548, this etching by Augustin Hirschvogel portrays the biblical episode in which Jacob grapples with an angel. Executed as a small-scale print, the composition places the two central figures in the foreground, surrounded by a modest crowd of onlookers and livestock, while a gently rolling landscape recedes behind them.
Subject & Meaning
The work visualizes Jacob’s nocturnal struggle, a moment traditionally interpreted as a test of faith and a turning point in his life. By juxtaposing the human figure with a celestial being, Hirschvogel emphasizes the tension between earthly effort and divine intervention, inviting contemplation of perseverance and spiritual transformation.
Technique & Style
Hirschvogel employed the etching process, incising fine lines into a copper plate to achieve intricate detail. The print displays delicate hatching and cross‑hatching that model forms and suggest depth, while strong contrasts of light and shadow heighten the dramatic encounter. The overall handling reflects the meticulous, almost scientific approach characteristic of his work.
History & Provenance
The etching belongs to a series of thirty‑five landscape prints Hirschvogel produced between 1545 and 1549, a period during which he explored both topographical and narrative subjects. Though originally circulated among a limited circle of collectors, the piece later entered museum collections, where it serves as a representative example of his printmaking output.
Context
Hirschvogel was associated with the Danube School, a mid‑16th‑century group of artists active in Bavaria and Austria who combined naturalistic observation with expressive composition. His background in mathematics and cartography informed the precise rendering of space in this print, situating the biblical drama within a carefully structured, yet evocative, landscape.
Artist & collection
Artist
Augustin Hirschvogel (1503 – February 1553) was a German artist, mathematician, and cartographer known primarily for his etchings.
