Original etching, soft ground and drypoint printed in dark brown ink on wove paper with wide margins. State eight of eight according to Knesebeck. From the von der Becke edition, printed between 1965-1972. Engraved in lower left: "Orig. Rad. von Käthe Kollwitz", also engraved "Druck v. O Felsing, Berlin-Chlttbg." With von der Becke's embossed seal "Muenchen-22," lower right. In very fine condition.

Platemark: 17 1/2 " x 17 3/8"; Sheet size: 21 3/4" x 22"
Catalogue reference: Klipstein 103; Knesebeck 107 VIIIb/VIIIb

This soft ground etching, in which Kollwitz undoubtedly identifies herself with the mother figure, is a masterpiece of line, space and content. In its illustration of psychological tensions through the drama of the body, "Tod und Frau" equals the artistry and emotional depth of Michelangelo’s "Rebellious Slave.” A nude woman strains between a child who reaches for her, and the skeleton of Death that grasps her, pinning back her arms. With "Tod und Frau”, Kollwitz accomplished a technical goal she had set for herself the year before, to do the etchings so that all the essentials are strongly stressed and the inessentials are omitted. This dramatic image captures the very essence of her life and work and illustrates the degree to which she had perfected her etching technique.