With this half-figure profile view Kollwitz created a strongly stylised image of old age – the back is bent as a result of ageing, the profile is shaded, the half-closed eyes have a blank, yet pensive look.
Rembrandt’s late portraits may have served as a model for this motif.
The posture of the old woman inspired the sculptor Gustav Seitz (1906–1969) for the realisation of his memorial for Käthe Kollwitz, which was commissioned by the city council in 1956 and installed in Kollwitzplatz, Berlin, in 1961. Historical photographs prove that a reproduction of this lithograph was used during his work.
