Triumph of Truth over Envy

A tour de force, this aquatint was made from two plates, one printed in brown ink, the other in a yellow-ochre base color which was then touched with gold leaf. Husband and wife printmakers Johann and Maria Catharina Prestel were virtuosos of the aquatint medium. They specialized in reproducing old master drawings, publishing three private collections before their bankruptcy and divorce. Maria Catharina subsequently moved with their four children to London, where her printmaking career flourished. Although Johann’s signature appears on this print, scholars have recently attributed it to Maria Catharina.