Altzenbachs of Cologne : Early Modern German Print Publishers

This richly illustrated catalog brings together for the first time all of the known popular prints published by the Altzenbach firm in Cologne from approximately 1609 to 1680. Over 550 prints plus models and copies are drawn from more than 120 collections in Europe and North America. 0Working in the bastion of Catholicism on the Lower Rhine, the Altzenbachs specialized in devotional prints for the local market as well as for the large number of pilgrims who visited the religious sites in Cologne, Trier, and Aachen. At the same time, however, they published prints for a broad market on a variety of secular subjects: local history, natural events, executions, architecture, allegories, and moral satires. Some of their prints are the work of well-known artists such as Wenceslaus Hollar and Matthäus Merian, but most were executed by anonymous artists who looked to Flemish and Dutch printmakers for inspiration. This visual material is a multi-faceted primary resource that offers unique and telling insights into the cultural world of the seventeenth century.