Vaclav Hollar (1607-1677) is probably the most famous Czech visual artist. He started with graphics in Prague under Aegidius Sadeler, the Imperial engraver of Rudolf II. Hollar left Prague in 1627 (his family were protestant and Catolics just gained the upper hand in Bohemia). He became very successful etcher, travelled around whole Europe, but spent most of his life in England, where he also died, poor as a church mouse. Hollar produced over 2740 plates with different motives from portraits to landscapes, made illustrations for many books, etched maps, reproduced works of other artists...
Hollar's speciality was depicting fur. He produced an entire series of fur prints. Fur had rarely been attempted in prints before Hollar, although it was frequently the subject of portrait painters. But Hollar is said to have been the first artist to promote fur as independent subject. His fur muffs, arranged into still-life groups, have undeniably sensual and sexual implications.
All these finely detailed prints of Feminine finery are full of fetishistic fascination. You can tell the love that was put into every line and repeated selections of luxury Feminine adornments, sometimes carefully pilled together, clearly show his intense erotic interest.
For Femdom fans, however, the most interesting would be probably the memorably allegory of Winter - Woman figure with masked face and fur accessories and rather interesting inscription:
The cold, not cruelty, makes Her weare | In Winter, furrs and Wild Beastshaire | For a smother skinn at night | Embraceth Her with more delight
Why Hollar even mentions cruelty? The picture pointedly negates the text and is very clear - it depicts mythic figure of the fur-clad cruel Feminine despot, Venus in Furs, 226 years before Sacher-Masoch published his famous novel.
