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An der Kirchenmauer (By the Church Wall), by Kathe Kollwitz, (German, (1878-1945)
Etching with Drypoint, 1893, posthumous ed. unknown, printed circa 1963-72, Kl. 19 Vlb, unsigned, with the A.V.D. Becke Munchen-22 dry stamp lower right, final state, plate 9-15/16 x 5-3/16, image 9-3/8 x 4-7/16, pale hint of lightening within mat opening, printed in a warm black ink on thick cream wove paper. A fine late impression with rich contrasts of this early image by Kollwitz. Otto Nagel, the author of a book on Kollwitz's self portraits, has stated that the artist observed this woman first hand, but in making the print made this a self portrait. A. von der Becke became Kollwitz's print publisher after 1931, and after von der Becke's death in 1958, his wife Johanna and son Bernhard continued the publication of prints from Kollwitz's plates from 1963-1972, which this impression is consistent with.