Wolfgang Kilian

The recorded working language is German. Places of work recorded in the authority are Augsburg. Work by Wolfgang Kilian is recorded in the collections of Minneapolis Institute of Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Nationalmuseum, Städel Museum and Australian National Maritime Museum.

• Name — Wolfgang Kilian • Born — 10 May 1581 • Birthplace — Augsburg • Died — 1662 • Place of death — Augsburg • Known for — Engraving • Family — Kilian family

He was the son of Bartholomaus Kilian the elder and Maria Pfeiffelmann. After his father's death in 1583, his mother remarried Dominicus Custos and he and his brother Lucas became his pupils. He and his brother trained under his stepfather in a family workshop that was deeply embedded in the artistic milieu of Augsburg, a city renowned for its flourishing arts and crafts scene. From 1604 to 1608, he travelled in Italy and worked in Venice, Mantua, and Milan. On his return, he married and continued in the family workshop. In his early career, Wolfgang collaborated closely with his brother Lucas Kilian, producing genealogical portrait series and ornamental prints that catered to the tastes of the time. One of their notable joint projects was the "Fuggerorum et Fuggerarum Imagines" (1620), a series of portraits depicting members of the influential Fugger family. Wolfgang also created the "Large Map of Augsburg" (1626), a detailed bird's-eye view of the city etched on six plates, showcasing his technical precision and artistic prowess. Following Lucas's death in 1637, Wolfgang embarked on a second phase of his career, focusing on book illustrations and thesis prints, a genre promoted by Catholic universities and religious orders such as the Jesuits and Benedictines. He also invested in the artistic development of his sons, Bartholomäus and Philipp Kilian, who trained in Paris and Italy, bringing new techniques and a Baroque sensibility to the family's printmaking tradition. Recent research, as part of the Hollstein German Series, has cataloged nearly 2,300 works attributed to Wolfgang Kilian. • Illustration — "The Alchemical Tree of Life" with 7 ancient levels for self mastery by Wolfgang Killian