It was the great Emperor Rudolph
Date1888
Artist
Howard Pyle
(American illustrator, 1853–1911)
Illustration CitationOtto of the Silver Hand, by Howard Pyle (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1888)
MediumInk on illustration board
Dimensionscomposition: 7 5/8 × 5 11/16 in. (19.4 × 14.4 cm)
sheet: 11 7/8 × 9 in. (30.2 × 22.9 cm)
sheet: 11 7/8 × 9 in. (30.2 × 22.9 cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 1915
Object number1915-49
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextHoward Pyle's story describes the life of young Otto, a victim of kidnapping and violent cruelty in medieval Germany. Taken from the monastery that harbored him as a child to a castle where he is imprisoned, he endures a series of trials including having his hand cut off. Ultimately peace prevails under a just emperor (seen here reassuring the boy), and Otto is rewarded with a silver hand, as well as a beautiful bride. The New York Times reviewer of the book noted that "Mr. Pyle gets something of the rudeness of ancient woodcuts into (this) work," alluding to the artist's desire to suggest medieval printmaking in the illustrations.
