Here we have a phenomenal print of a still life tomb complete with four skulls, a fool's cap, globe, telescope, books, bag and staff. And overriding the entire thing is the question: "Who was the fool, who wise, who a beggar or emperor?" Heavy from all sides, and it is a powerful image to set your eyes on. And the print is as vivid as a sunset and nearly flawless. The detail is incredible. Check out the shading on the second skull from the left. Yep, you'll be seeing that before you wake up in a cold sweat. Unreal.
The gothic print was produced around 1900 by German artist Carl Muller Baumgarten (1879 - 1946). The piece is signed in pencil in the lower right. On the reverse there is an old framing tag in Italian located in Rome. The artwork came from an estate in the Twin Cities area.
Back to the origin story. Here's another version of the phrase, complete with the morbid punchline:
"Who was the fool, who the wise man, beggar of king?
Whether poor or rich, all’s the same in death."
Bongo.
Here's a
killer read about this piece and it's link to a painting at Yale University. It goes deep....Illuminati deep.
Here's
another version of the same theme.
Here's a
brief bio on the artist.
The framed artwork measures 15" wide by 10" tall. The etching visual measures 9" wide by 6" tall. As stated above, the print is in great shape for its age. There is a tiny discoloration spot in the left margin of the print (see pic). The frame has some losses which adds to the piece, in my humble opinion. I have not examined the print out of the frame. The reverse backing as some tears. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.
I ship FedEx to street addresses in the continental USA only (no PO boxes). Free shipping on this gothic delight.
If you don't think people will stop and peer at this print, you don't have blood pumpin' through your veins. I have no problem looking at it for the rest of my days.
Powerful, mysterious and straight out of the European underground.
