Front / Recto
- Title Saxifraga wilkommiana (Willkom's Saxifrage. Rosette of Leaves Enlarged 10 Times) (Saxifraga wilkommiana [Steinbrech. Blattrosette in 10facher Vergrößerung])
- Negative Date 1898–1928
- Print Date 1920–32
- Medium Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions Image 11 5/8 x 9 5/16" (29.5 x 23.6 cm)
- Place Taken Berlin
- Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of James Thrall Soby, by exchange
- MoMA Accession Number 1628.2001
- Copyright © 2015 Karl Blossfeldt / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Back / Verso
- Mount Type No mount
- Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top left: 60 [illegible] f/K 75/abg. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom center: Saxifraga Willkommniana/Steinbrech./Blattrosette/10x vergrößert.
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Provenance
The artist, Berlin; by inheritance to the artist's estate (the artist's second wife, Helene Blossfeldt), Berlin, 1932 [1]; to the Blossfeldt-Löchner family, Schielo, Germany [2]; to Karl Blossfeldt Archiv/Stiftung Ann und Jürgen Wilde, Zülpich-Mülheim, Germany, 1989 [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, 1992 [4]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 3.
[2] Jürgen Wilde, letter to Audrey Sands, October 1, 2013.
[3] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 3; and Wilde, letter to Simon Bieling, May 12, 2005.
[4] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 3.
Surface
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Retouch Detail
Detail showing aqueous retouching applied with a brush. The area of detail is 7 x 11 cm. Department of Conservation, MoMA - Surface Sheen Matte
- Techniques Retouching (additive) Enlargement via lateral projection
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PTM
View of the recto of the artwork made using reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) software, which exaggerates subtle surface details and renders the features of the artwork plainly visible. Department of Conservation, MoMA -
Micro-raking
Raking-light close-up image, as shot. Area of detail is 6.7 x 6.7 mm. Department of Conservation, MoMA
Raking-light close-up image, processed. Processing included removal of color, equalization of the histogram, and sharpening, all designed to enhance visual comparison. Department of Conservation, MoMA
Paper Material
- Format Metric
- Weight Single weight
- Thickness (mm) 0.18
- UV Fluorescence Recto negative Verso negative
- Fiber Analysis Hardwood bleached sulfite 2% Grass 35% Rag 17% Bast 5% Softwood bleached kraft/soda 1% Softwood bleached sulfite 41%
- Material Techniques Developing-out paper
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XRF
This work was determined to be a gelatin silver print via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry.
The following elements have been positively identified in the work, through XRF readings taken from its recto and verso (or from the mount, where the verso was not accessible):
- Recto: P, S, K, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Verso: Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Sr, Ba
The graphs below show XRF spectra for three areas on the print: two of the recto—from areas of maximum and minimum image density (Dmax and Dmin)—and one of the verso or mount. The background spectrum represents the contribution of the XRF instrument itself. The first graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the lower energy range (0 to 8 keV). The second graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the higher energy range (8 to 40 keV).
Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ag, Ba
Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Fe, Zn, Sr, Ag
In Context
Historical Publications
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Blossfeldt, Karl, and Karl Nierendorf. Urformen der Kunst: Photographische Pflanzenbilder, pl. 47 (as Saxifraga Willkommniana. Steinbrech. Blattrosette in 8facher Vergrößerung). Berlin: Ernst Wasmuth A.G., 1928.
Related People
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Artist
Related Links
- Cultural Hubs Berlin
- Publications Urformen der Kunst (Blossfeldt), 1928
