Martin von Molitor

Martin von Molitor was an artist whose documented activity spanned the late eighteenth century, operating between the years 1759 and 1795. His output primarily involved works on paper, with museum holdings dominated by prints and drawings, focusing predominantly on landscape subjects.

Molitor’s compositions frequently depict pastoral or detailed woodland scenes, emphasizing figures resting within natural settings. Key examples of his work include the drawing Wanderer Resting in the Forest and the print The Fallen Tree Trunk. His approach to landscape is further represented by works such as Landscape with a Waterfall and a Resting Family and multiple iterations of A Meadow with Cattle at the Edge of a Wood. Records indicate that nine works by Molitor, comprising seven prints and two drawings, are preserved in institutional collections.

The credibility of Molitor’s oeuvre is established through his representation in major American museums, including the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The survival of these objects in museum-quality collections suggests the lasting historical interest in his eighteenth-century draftsmanship. Due to the age of the materials, many of Martin von Molitor prints are now classified as public domain, often available as high-quality prints for study and preservation.