Artwork Page for The Dance

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The Dance

1799

Carl Wilhelm I Kolbe

(German, 1757–1835)
Culture
Germany, 18th-19th century
Medium
engraving
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Edward W. Haines 1916.1066
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The Dance represents a stylistic fusion of classicism and scientific naturalism that dominated landscape art at the end of the 18th century. The circle of nudes dancing to a satyr’s music, ancient ruins, and sacrificial alter evoke a classical idyll, while the surrounding landscape, particularly the tree and foreground burdocks, are rendered with botanical precision.
A horizontally oriented print in black ink uses dense, fine lines to depict a lush landscape. A massive, gnarled tree dominates the foreground where a figure plays a flute for three dancers. In the middle ground, an arched bridge spans a river. Ruined columns stand on the left, while a rocky cliff topped with a circular temple rises on the right. Tiny, layered dashes and cross-hatching create the textured mountains and clouds.

The Dance

1799

Carl Wilhelm I Kolbe

(German, 1757–1835)
Germany, 18th-19th century

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