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Carl Wilhelm Kolbe, the elder

Bathers

c. 1799
Etching on ivory laid paper
50.7 × 42.6 cm (20 × 16.8 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Carl Wilhelm Kolbe was a late bloomer, taking art classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin in his 30s. Unusually, this self-taught etcher did not produce any paintings. Instead he focused on his many idiosyncratic prints of lushly detailed landscapes with mythological overtones. This large sheet includes his signature majestic oak trees and patches of aggressively overgrown foliage, a herd of cows, and a pair of nude men who may come from a different era than the travelers in the background. Kolbe became a member of the Berlin Academy in 1795, and published several print portfolios brimming with idyllic imagery.

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