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Dona Nobis Pacem! (Give Us Peace!)

Printer Pan-Presse, Berlin German
Publisher Paul Cassirer
1916
Not on view
Barlach’s call for peace was published on the cover of the December 1916 issue of the art journal Der Bildermann (The Picture Man). The image shows a mournful Madonna with hands clutched in a prayer for peace; the seven swords symbolize her sorrows as well as those inflected by the war, making her representative of all grieving mothers. Like many of his generation, the artist initially welcomed war. He expressed his enthusiasm through his art and by serving—first as a medic and then briefly in the infantry before a medical discharge in early 1916. After his experience of combat and wartime devastation, Barlach adopted a fervently antiwar stance, which he explored in his art.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dona Nobis Pacem! (Give Us Peace!)
  • Series/Portfolio: Der Bildermann, Nr. 18 vom 20 December 1916
  • Artist: Ernst Barlach (German, Wedel 1870–1938 Rostock)
  • Printer: Pan-Presse, Berlin
  • Publisher: Paul Cassirer
  • Date: 1916
  • Medium: Lithograph
  • Dimensions: image: 7 x 9 1/8 inches (17.8 x 23.2 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Samuel C. Dretzin, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.697.12
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Rebellion (The prophet Elias)
Ernst Barlach
1922
Vision in the Snow (Erscheinung im Nebel), Ernst Barlach German, Lithograph
Vision in the Snow (Erscheinung im Nebel)
Ernst Barlach
1912
The Elf (Der Alb), Ernst Barlach German, Lithograph
The Elf (Der Alb)
Ernst Barlach
1912
Dreaming Youth (Träumender Jüngling), Ernst Barlach German, Lithograph
Dreaming Youth (Träumender Jüngling)
Ernst Barlach
1912
The Cradle (Die Wiege), Ernst Barlach German, Lithograph
The Cradle (Die Wiege)
Ernst Barlach
1912

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