Church in Cassone by Gustav Klimt, Das Werk lifetime collotype, 1908-1914

Original collotype created from Gustav Klimt’s Church in Cassone, painted in 1913. Published and edited by Verlag H.O. Miethke and printed by k.k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna, in an edition of 300. Paper measures approximately 18 1/2 x 18 inches. Exceptional condition commensurate with age. Image is pristine and will display beautifully. Between 1908 and 1914, H.O. Miethke published Das Werk Gustav Klimts, a folio of collotypes representing Gustav Klimt’s most notable works leading up to 1913. Klimt’s original oil paintings were painstakingly reproduced as collotypes on a handmade, deckled-edge cream wove paper using a complex gravure process overseen by master technicians as well as the artist himself. Each image presented in the folio was assigned its own unique signet, which was designed by Klimt and struck below the image using a technique similar to letterpress. The signet corresponded to a matching signet in the justification page which detailed the piece’s size, location, and owner. Published under the artist’s direct supervision, this series allowed Klimt, who had completely divorced himself from public commissions following the outcry from his University of Vienna paintings, to more effectively present his artworks to institutions and patrons across the world. A testament to the masterful design and printmaking demonstrated by Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Emperor Franz Joseph himself purchased the first copy of the folio. Klimt’s Portrait of Church in Cassone is an extraordinary example of the collotype process, capturing the superb resolution of the original 1913 oil painting. Century Guild has curated collections of Gustav Klimt’s printed works on paper for over twenty years. Please contact us directly if you’d like to learn more about this artwork.