Miletin (Bohemia) by Max Pollak

Miletin (Bohemia) by Max Pollak

Miletin (Bohemia)

Max Pollak

Title

Miletin (Bohemia)

 
Artist

Max Pollak

  1886 - 1970 (biography)
Year
1908  
Technique
etching, drypoint, roulette and aquatint, printed in colors - a la poupeé 
Image Size
10 7/16 x 16 3/16" platemark 
Signature
pencil, lower right and again within image, lower right 
Edition Size
not stated, presumed under 25 
Annotations
pencil titled again beneath platemark, lower right; additional annotation after title in German, illegible; Friedl Pollak Collection stamp in lower left sheet corner 
Reference
Triton Art Gallery catalog, no. 13 
Paper
antique-white laid 
State
published 
Publisher
artist 
Inventory ID
22586 
Price
SOLD
Description

Max Pollak depicts a small village, Miletin, in his native Bohemia. In the foreground, a horse and sleigh start crossing an ancient stone bridge over the Miletin River. Large snowflakes fall throughout the composition and in the snowy background, villagers gather on the street.

The only color is found in the river and the horse, but it is enough to provide a contrast to the rest of the snow-laden composition. Pollak uses hundreds of delicate drypoint lines to indicate houses, covered in snow. He added a blue to the black ink, resulting in a silvery, aquatinted sky, and uses a roulette wheel to add tone in the foreground.

Miletín is a small town located on the Miletin (Byst?ice) River in the Miletín Basin, located in northeast Bohemia (Czechoslavakia). It was first mentioned in 1124 when Prince Vladislav I welcomed St. Otto Bishop of Bamberg. The village was founded around the castle. From 1241 it was the property of the Teutonic Knights until the Hussite Wars of 1410.

The mud houses and streets from that period have been preserved. In the following years, the number of owners of the town changed; among them was the Wallenstein family. In 1560 the village was promoted to a town, which burnt down in 1846 and was rebuilt after the fire.