The End, Plate 6 from "The Weavers' Revolt"
1897
19th Century
9 1/4 x 11 1/2 in. (23.5 x 29.2 cm)
Käthe Kollwitz,
German,
(1867–1945)
Object Type:
PRINTS
Creation Place:
Europe
Medium and Support:
Etching, restrike
Accession Number:
72-G-RS-418
[Ende, Weberaufstand]
Gerhart Hauptmann's play, The Weavers, inspired this series of prints. First performed in Berlin in 1893, the play dealt with the desperate conditions and revolt of Silesian weavers in the winter of 1840. The disturbances were part of the industrial revolution that swept Europe in the Nineteenth Century. Kollwitz worked on the series from 1894-1898. The episodes follow a dramatic pattern of provocation, angry reaction and tragic end.
This image marks the end of the rebellion, with the bodies of the dead being returned to the weaver's dwelling. A figure appears crouched in the left hand corner next to two bodies, which are laid on the ground. Two further figures are carrying in yet another body while a female figure looks on. The iconic loom, which appears at the left, bears testimony to the outcome of the workers' suppression.
This print is a "re-strike", an impression printed after the original edition was no longer available. The re-strike is pulled from the original plate, but someone other than the artist or original printer was responsible for making the impression.
Current Location:
In Storage
