Saint Henry (Emperor Henry II)

Joseph von Führich

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In minute pen lines and delicate touches of wash, Henry II, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1002 to 1024, is shown holding a model of Bamberg Cathedral, which he founded. His nimbus, inscribed in Latin "Saint Henry the Emperor,"refers to his canonization; his crown, ermine robe, and armour refer to his power as a secular ruler. The drawing is an outstanding example of the later style of von Fühich, who, in his youth, had been a member of the Nazarene Brotherhood and later spread their influence in Austria as professor at the Vienna Academy. The drawing’s purpose is unknown; it may have been a design for a book illustration or a church decoration.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art