The Course of the Mulde with Sand Deposits in the Curves

Front / Recto

Title The Course of the Mulde with Sand Deposits in the Curves (Der Lauf der Mulde mit Versandungen in den Windungen)
Negative Date 1920–33
Print Date 1920–33
Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image 3 3/8 × 4 1/2" (8.5 × 11.5 cm)
Sheet 3 9/16 × 4 3/4" (9 × 12 cm)
Place Taken Berlin
Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of Albert Renger-Patzsch, by exchange
MoMA Accession Number 1813.2001

Back / Verso

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions
Inscribed in green ink on sheet verso, top center: Der Lauf der Mulde/mit Versandungen in den Windungen. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: (Flussrichtung von links nach rechts) [1]. Stamped in red ink on sheet verso, center: Original-Aufnahme/von/R. Petschow/Berlin-Steglitz/Stadtpark 3/Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Inscribed in red pencil on sheet verso, bottom-right corner: x.

[1] "Direction of flow from left to right."
Provenance The artist, possibly Berlin; possibly by inheritance to the artist's estate [1]. Helmut Gernsheim [2]; to Galerie Berinson, Berlin, 1994 [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, New York; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Egidio Marzona, conversation with Simon Bieling, Berlin, August 2005; and Hendrik Berinson, e-mail to Maria Morris Hambourg, April 15, 2013. Berinson has said that there is no Petschow estate and no family as far as he knows.
[2] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 17; and Berinson, conversation with Bieling, Galerie Berinson, Berlin, February 18, 2005.
[3] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 17

Surface

Surface Sheen Semireflective
Techniques Contact print
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 Softwood bleached sulfite 26%
Rag 35%
Bast 2%
Grass 35%
Softwood bleached kraft/soda 1%
Material Techniques Developing-out paper
XRF
This work was determined to be a gelatin silver print 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, Cl, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Verso: Al, Si, S, Ca, 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, Cl, Ca, Ag, Ba

Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Zn, Sr, Ag

In Context

Related Images

Robert Petschow. Photographs reproduced in “Das Riesenspielzeug. Die Welt von oben: Fahrten mit dem Freiballon” (“The giant toy. The world from above: Rides in a hot-air balloon”). Spread from Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, no. 2 (January 11, 1925). Courtesy Ullstein Bild. © 2014 Axel Springer SE

Related People

Artist
- Robert Petschow

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Robert Petschow