The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 18, 2026

A vertically oriented print in black ink on off-white paper depicts a dense forest framed by a pointed arch of twisted trunks. In the center, a man sits beside a woman in a flowing gown; both have light skin tones. Small winged figures and animals populate the branches, and large white lilies bloom at the top center. A seated figure appears in the hazy background. German text is printed along the bottom margin.

The Forest Maiden

1845
printer

Wendelin Wick

(German, active 1842–1853)

Eugen Napoleon Neureuther

(German, 1806–1862)
Germany, 19th century
etching on steel on wove paper
Plate: 72 x 53 cm (28 3/8 x 20 7/8 in.); Sheet: 81 x 62 cm (31 7/8 x 24 7/16 in.)
Gift of Stephen Dull 2018.303
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Folk tales that featured a young maiden falling in love with a prince were very popular in 19th-century Germany, well before Walt Disney!

Description

The story of The Forest Maiden tells of female demon who inhabits the forest and appears as a beautiful woman to tempt and prey upon unwitting men. This prints shows several different scenes of seduction, placed through an elaborately woven forest canopy. Eugen Neureuther made this elaborate etching depicting the tale during a revival of interest in folk tales in Germany in the early 19th century.
  • Possibly Alexander Strähuber [1814-1882], Munich, Germany
    Anton Strähuber [1877-1939], Munich, Germany
    May 2018
    Hartung & Hartung, Munich, Germany
    2018
    C.G. Boerner, New York, NY
    December 3, 2018
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Nagler, G.K. Neues allgemeines Kunstler-Lexikon, oder Nachrichten von dem Leben und den Werken der Maler, Bildhauer, Baumeister, Kupferstecher, Formschneider, Lithographen, Zeichner, Medailleure, Elfenbeinarbeiter, etc. 22 vols. Munich: E.A. Fleischman, 1835 no. 15
    Andresen, Andreas, continued by J. E. Wessely. Die Deutschen Maler-Radirer des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts, nach ihren Leben und Werken. Leipzig: Alexander Danz, 1877 no. 2
    Schuberth, Max. “Eugen Napoleon Neureuthers Leben und graphisches Werk: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der romantischen Bildkunst.” PhD diss., Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, Munich, 1926, no. II.
    Boetticher, Friedrich von. Malerwerke des Neunzehnten Jahrhunderts: Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte. Hofheim am Taunus: H. Schmidt & C. Günther, 1974. no. 26
  • {{cite web|title=The Forest Maiden|url=false|author=Wendelin Wick, Eugen Napoleon Neureuther|year=1845|access-date=18 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.303