Sharpening the Scythe (Biem Dengeln)

1905

Dating: Exact year
Held at: Art Institute of Chicago
Medium: Compressed charcoal on cream laid paper
Dimensions: 39.6 × 32 cm (15 5/8 × 12 5/8 in.)
Collection no.: 1994.102
Attribution: By the artist

About this artwork

Sharpening the Scythe (Biem Dengeln) — Käthe Kollwitz. 1905.

Medium: Compressed charcoal on cream laid paper. Dimensions: 39.6 × 32 cm (15 5/8 × 12 5/8 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Introduced to the misery of lower class life by her husband, a doctor for the poor, Käthe Kollwitz became a spokeswoman for the downtrodden. She abandoned painting in 1890, pursuing several print cycles, including the historically based Peasant War . This early charcoal study prepares for an etching from the series.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.

Location checked Sep 10, 2026. This does not indicate whether the work is on display.

Artwork sources