Who painted Death Stalking a Woman?

Death Stalking a Woman was painted by Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1770.

Where can I see Death Stalking a Woman?

Death Stalking a Woman is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Death Stalking a Woman?

Death Stalking a Woman is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Death Stalking a Woman

Carl Gotthard Langhans , 1770

Death Stalking a Woman is an ink drawing by the Baroque artist Carl Gotthard Langhans. It dates from 1770 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Death Stalking a Woman is a pen and black‑ink drawing with gray wash on laid paper, executed by the German artist Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1770. The work belongs to the drawing genre and exemplifies the artist’s engagement with narrative subjects during the late eighteenth century.

Technique & Style

The composition is rendered primarily with fine pen lines, while areas of shadow and atmosphere are built up through a subtle gray wash. The use of laid paper, with its characteristic ribbed texture, contributes to the drawing’s tactile quality, and the contrast between ink and wash highlights the dramatic tension of the scene.

Context

Created in the years preceding the French Revolution, the drawing reflects the period’s fascination with allegorical and moralizing imagery. Langhans, known for his architectural work as well as his drawings, employed a restrained yet expressive hand, aligning the piece with the Enlightenment’s interest in the interplay of life and death.