1946 photo of Gothein attached to an identity card of the Federal Republic of Germany.
1946 photo of Gothein attached to an identity card
of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Gothein’s only wordless novel in woodcuts, Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown (The Tightrope Walker And Her Clown), is a story involving a clown’s love, infatuation, loss, desperation and death.

Werner Gothein (born March 8, 1890 in Karlsruhe, died June 2, 1968 in Unteruhldingen) was a German visual artist.

Gothein was a student of Pechstein and Kirchner. In the Second World War, he had started woodcutting, inspired by Frans Masereel. From 1945 until his death in 1968, Gothein lived in Unteruhldingen on Lake Constance.

Die Seiltänzerin und ihr Clown 1949 and 1955 (translated: The Tightrope Walker and Her Clown) is his only wordless novel. He did two other wordless pieces, Hiob (Job) in 1953 and Abraham in 1956 but they just illustrate highlights of a biblical story without “telling” any story.

Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown 1949

Detail from Gothein's 1949 wordless novel Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Detail from Gothein’s 1949 wordless
novel Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
  • Title: Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown (The Tightrope Walker And Her Clown)
    • Subtitle: Eine Erzählung in Holzschnitten von Werner Gothein (A story in woodcuts by Werner Gothein)
  • Author and Illustrator: Werner Gothein
  • Dedication: Walter Kaesbach
  • Date: October 1949
  • ISBN: not applicable
  • Publisher: Lovis Presse
  • Place of publication: Schwenningen/Neckar is in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
  • Printer: Herman Kuhn KG.
  • Copyright: artist?
  • Size: 4to; Measures 11.8″ x 10.6″ x 0.9″ (30.0 cm x 26.9 cm x 2.3 cm)
  • Slipcase: light card material typical of a mailing enclosure
  • Dust jacket: Yes – designed by the artist
  • Binding: soft cover
  • Dust jacket: paper with print on front cover
  • Language: German titles, etc
  • Paginated: unpaginated
  • Printed: recto
  • Edition:
    • 25 special copies (extra crayon drawing as per below???). How are these differentiated by number?
    • 500 numbered & signed copies (I believe # 1 to #500 as a listing for a 1955 edition has #509)
  • unpaginated
  • Description: told in 102 black and white woodcut prints, printed directly from the blocks.
  • blocks were cut on the plank side ie not on the end grain.
Dust Jacket for Die Seiltänzerin - frequently faded as can be seen on the spine. This example is not too bad.
Dust Jacket for Die Seiltänzerin – frequently faded as can
be seen on the spine. This example is not too bad.
The book and slipcase in tatters for Die Seiltänzerin.
The book and slipcase in tatters for Die Seiltänzerin.
Title page of Gothein's 1949 Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Title page of Gothein’s 1949
Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Sub-title page of Gothein's 1949 Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Sub-title page of Gothein’s 1949
Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Dedication page to Walter Kaesbach for Gothein's 1949 Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Dedication page to Walter Kaesbach for Gothein’s
1949 Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Colophon numbered and pencil signed of Gothein's 1949 Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
Colophon numbered and pencil signed of Gothein’s
1949 Die Seiltänzerin Und Ihr Clown.
This image clearly shows the blocks were cut on the plank side and not on the end grain.
This image clearly shows the blocks were cut on the
plank side and not on the end grain.

1955 Edition

  • Date: August 1955
  • hard cover
  • 2nd Edition: 500 copies numbered and signed. I am unclear as to how the numbering goes – see below
    • since there was a 1955 edition numbered 509 – one can assume the numbering started at 501 going to No. 1000
    • but this doesn’t take into account the special edition of 25 from the 1st edition.

Numbering on 2nd edition of 1955

Some copies are numbered 780 or 904, others are numbered 1000/21 or 1000/26.

Does anyone have an explanation for the different numbering systems?

this is apparently #1000/26
this is #904

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