19. Augustin Hirschvogel
(ca. 1503-1553)

The Defeat and Death of Absolom

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Hirschvogel: The Defeat and Death

The Defeat and Death of Absolom

Etching, 1548, 117 x 148 mm., Bartsch 1.74 from Concordantzen Altes und Neues Testaments. Very good impression on laid paper with no visible watermark, trimmed along the platemark. Absolom, who was the son of David, mustered an army to rebel against his father’s rule. In the course of the battle he rode beneath a tree, his hair caught in the branches and he was killed by David’s soldiers. Despite the rebellion, David mourned for his son in a famous and touching lamentation that many centuries later was set to music.