“This etching offers an intimate glimpse of two powerful Holy Roman Emperors, Charles V and Ferdinand I, rendered with striking detail in profile.”
This etching by Ottilie Wilhelmine Roederstein brings two powerful historical figures, Emperors Charles V and Ferdinand I, into sharp focus. The composition is intimate, drawing the viewer close to the monarchs. Charles V, recognizable by his distinctive jawline, appears on the left, while Ferdinand I, his younger brother, is on the right. Both are depicted in profile, a common convention for imperial portraits, emphasizing their status and lineage. The delicate lines of the etching convey a sense of their regal bearing, even without the grandeur of full-color painting. The artist created this work sometime between 1517 and 1530, a period when both brothers held significant influence in the Holy Roman Empire, with Charles as Emperor and Ferdinand as his successor and a key figure in central European politics.
- Artist
- Ottilie Wilhelmine Roederstein
- Medium
- Etching in black on ivory laid paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 19.5 × 27.5 cm (7 11/16 × 10 7/8 in.); Secondary support: 20.5 × 28.5 cm (8 1/8 × 11 1/4 in.)
- Collection
- Prints and Drawings
- Culture
- Germany
- Credit line
- Edna Wilhelmine Rose Fund
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The distinct profiles of Charles V (left) and Ferdinand I (right).
The intricate details of their collars and capes.
The subtle shading that gives depth to their faces.
The way the etching lines create texture in their hair and beards.
Stand in front of it and listen
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Ottilie Wilhelmine Roederstein
1859–1937 · SwitzerlandOttilie Wilhelmine Roederstein, a German-Swiss painter, defied social norms to become a celebrated portraitist, exhibiting at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Further Works by Roederstein
The Forge of Vulcan
1919 · Art Institute of Chicago
Woman with a Harp
Art Institute of Chicago
Study for In Puerperium: Charlotte with Wilhelmine
1909 · Art Institute of Chicago
Hotel by the Walchensee, from The Walchensee
1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
Self-Portrait
1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
Wilhelmine in a Bathing Costume
1924 · Art Institute of Chicago
Landscape with Cannon (The Great Cannon)
Art Institute of Chicago
The Madonna on the Crescent Crowned by Two Angels
Art Institute of Chicago