Creator Surrounded by Angels - Maria Catharina Prestel

A 1779 aquatint and etching by Maria Catharina Prestel, depicting a celestial scene of the Creator surrounded by angels.

This print by Maria Catharina Prestel, dated 1779, demonstrates her technical skill in reproducing the qualities of a master drawing through the medium of aquatint and etching. The composition depicts a central figure of the Creator, positioned amidst a celestial host of angels and putti. The work is inscribed with the phrase 'Dessin d'un Maitre inconnu', indicating that Prestel created this print after a drawing by an unidentified artist, a common practice for printmakers of the eighteenth century who sought to disseminate the styles of earlier masters to a wider audience.

Prestel was a highly regarded printmaker in her time, known for her ability to capture the tonal nuances of wash drawings and sketches. Her approach here relies on delicate line work and subtle tonal washes to define the figures and the cloud formations. The arrangement of the figures is dynamic, with the central figure providing a vertical axis around which the surrounding angels are grouped in various states of adoration and movement. The horizontal orientation of the print allows for a wide, expansive view of the heavenly scene, typical of the period's interest in grand, narrative compositions.

As a woman working in the professional sphere of printmaking in the late eighteenth century, Prestel achieved a level of recognition that was rare for the era. Her work often involved the reproduction of drawings from private collections, contributing to the history of art connoisseurship. This specific piece reflects the aesthetic values of the late eighteenth century, where the clarity of line and the balance of the composition were prioritised. The print serves as a record of a lost or unattributed original drawing, preserved through Prestel's meticulous translation of the artist's hand into the printed medium.