Wenceslaus Hollar
Artwork Detail
Known in the ancient world as an amphisbaena (from
the Greek ‘to go both ways’), this mythical serpent
represents the opposed forces in English society
that tore the kingdom apart. Hollar avoided directly
commenting on the conflict and chose instead to
satirise it with this allegory that one scholar has
noted represents the ‘sheer viperine nastiness of civil
conflict’. This impression, in reverse, is a
counterproof made by pressing a fresh sheet of paper
onto a new print while the ink was still wet.
- Title
- Civil Discord
- Artist/creator
- Wenceslaus Hollar
- Production date
- 1643
- Medium
- etching
- Dimensions
- 67 x 105 mm
- Credit line
- Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, bequest of Dr Walter Auburn, 1982
- Accession no
- M1982/1/3/35
- Other ID
- 481 Pennington Catalogue Raisonné
- Copyright
- No known copyright restrictions
- Department
- International Art
- Display status
- Not on display
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Wenceslaus HollarCivil Discord
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Reproduction enquiry
You are enquiring about:
Wenceslaus HollarCivil Discord
This service only applies to select artworks in the Gallery's collection. Please fill out the form below and we will get in touch to confirm the details of your enquiry.
We manage your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy