<p> A group of early modern German prints related to relic displays, reliquaries, and collecting, though explored by Heinrich Otte in the mid-1800s, has been ignored in recent art historical literature. Though references to the various prints appear in texts on social, cultural, and religious history, a more in-depth consideration of the works is warranted. This thesis, as a preliminary step, categorizes the prints into two sub-groups, narrative and index. It further utilizes the intriguing relationships embodied in the prints to trace societal and cultural changes, including the rise of event reporting, collecting and organization of knowledge, and changes in religious practices.</p>

<p> Joaqu&iacute;n Sorolla (1863-1923) painted numerous works of children bathing and playing on Spain's Mediterranean shores. This life-affirming subject allowed Sorolla to participate in the broad cultural discourse in Spain concerning cultural regeneration. Sorolla's work with the subject of the child bather intensified in the decade following the Crisis of 1898. <i>Sad Inheritance! </i>, his first monumental work on a child bather subject, directly engages the Theory of Degeneration, and the degeneration of Spain itself. While creating this work, Sorolla also developed paintings of child bathers that moved decisively toward a vision of regeneration. It was this regenerative vision that the artist would pursue in a number of complex and shifting ways, until creating a series of large child bather paintings in 1909. This thesis takes an episodic approach, studying key works from a decade of Sorolla' s output. </p>