Johannes Wierix’s engraving, “The Pharaoh Drowning in the Red Sea with his Troops”, after Marten van Cleve I

Johannes Wierix (aka Jan Wierix; Jeronimus Wierix) (1539–1620)

“The Pharaoh Drowning in the Red Sea with his Troops” (aka “Le pharaon noyé dans la Mer Rouge, avec ses troupes” [Mauquoy-Hendrickx title]; “The Egyptians are drowned as Moses parts the waves” [Wellcome collection title]), 1579 (Rijksmuseum date), from the two plates of “Histoire de Moïse”, in the series “Thesaurus sacrarum historiarum veteris testamenti, elegantissimis imaginabus expressum excellentissimorum in hac arte virorum opera: nunc primum in lucem editus”, after Marten van Cleve I (aka Marten van Cleef) (1527–1581), published by Gerard de Jode (aka Geeraert de Jode; Geerart de Jode; Gerardo de Jode; Gheerde de Jode; Gheraerde de Jode; Girard de Jode; Gerard de Jode (1516/17–1591) in Antwerp.

Engraving and etching on laid paper with a small margin and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 21.7 x 30.5 cm; (plate) 20 x 28.6 cm; (image borderline) 18.9 x 28.5 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (on shield at lower centre) “.IHE.W.” (monogram of Hieronymus Wierix [1553–1619]); (below sheath of arrows at lower right) “8”.

Lettered in Latin on plate below the image borderline: “Itur, atrox Pharao perit æquore, transit Hebreus. Sicut in excultæ per loca plana viæ. Exod: 14.”

Lifetime impression of state i (of v)

Mauquoy-Hendrickx 23 I (Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1978, “Les Estampes Des Wierix”, vol. 1, [text] p. 3, [ill.] p. 2); New Hollstein Dutch 33-1(4) (Zsuzsanna van Ruyven-Zeman [comp.] 2003, “Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: The Wierix family: part I”, vol. 59, Rotterdam, Sound and Vision Rijksprentenkabinet, p. 30, p. 31 [ill.], cat. no. 33).

The British Museum holds an extraordinary hand-coloured impression (contemporary colouring) of this print and offers the following description:

“The crossing of the red sea; to left, the Pharaoh on his chariot, crossing the red sea, with his horses and his soldiers struggling to keep afloat; Egyptian troops seen in the background, to left. (Ex. 14)”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1968-1018-1-65).

See also the description of this print at the Rijksmuseum:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.331297.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with a small margin laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There is a restored tear towards the upper edge, restoration of a small section of the lower margin and a faded ink inscription on the lower right corner; otherwise the sheet is in an excellent condition for its considerable age with no losses, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this exceptionally rare first state (of five), lifetime impression that is seldom seen on the art market for AU$286 (currently US$212.26/EUR175.01/GBP158 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this scene of dramatic upheaval exemplifying the Baroque period style, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold 

Hans Olde’s etching with drypoint, “Friedrich Nietzsche”, c1899

Hans Olde (aka Hans Johannes Wilhelm Olde; Hans Johann Wilhelm Olde) (1855–1917)

“Friedrich Nietzsche”, c1899, published and printed in Berlin in 1899 by Friedrich Fontane (aka F. Fontane & Co) (1864–1941) in the art journal, “Pan”, vol. 5, issue 4.

Etching and drypoint with plate tone printed in brown ink on cream wove paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 34.2 x 26.3 cm; (plate) 17 x 12.4 cm.

Inscribed on plate with the artist’s monogram at lower right corner: (ligature initials) “HO”.

The portrait shows the famous philosopher and poet, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), who cast an “enormous influence on Western philosophy and intellectual history” (IEP) at the end of his life when the great man was suffering mental illness (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche and https://iep.utm.edu/nietzsch/#:~:text=Nietzsche%20was%20a%20German%20philosopher,Western%20philosophy%20and%20intellectual%20history).

Museums Schleswig - Holstein & Hamburg offers the following insights about this etching:

(Transl.) “The portrait etching of Nietzsche brought the artist great fame. It appeared at a time when the worship of Nietzsche had reached its first climax and corresponded to the need for a portrait of the philosopher, of whom there were only artistically insignificant portraits. …

Working on the graphics turned out to be relatively difficult for Hans Olde - Nietzsche's sister Elisabth Förster allowed no one except the doctor to be admitted to the sick bed. The appointment was repeatedly postponed.

After the first requests were made to Olde in 1897, the first work on the philosopher's sick bed in Weimar did not begin until two years later. Numerous pencil, charcoal and oil sketches were made, and Olde also used the camera.”

(http://www.museen-nord.de/Objekt/DE-MUS-068813/lido/B+2081)

See the description of this print at Karl & Faber (Auction 230, 6.11.2010, lot 304): https://www.karlundfaber.de/produkt/portraet-friedrich-nietzsche/.

Condition: richly inked and strong impression. The sheet has generously wide margins and is in museum-quality/pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this spectacularly fine etching (with drypoint) of the almost legendary Friedrich Nietzsche, for AU$312 (currently US$230.16/EUR190.96/GBP172.33 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this sensitive portrait executed as the highly influential philosopher lay stricken with a mental disorder during his final days, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Michel Wolgemut’s workshop woodcut leaf, “Family of St John the Baptist”, 1493

Workshop of Michel Wolgemut (Michael Wolgemut) (1434–1519) (viz. Michel Wolgemut, along with his stepson, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff [1460–1494], and Wolgemut’s apprentice, Albrecht Dürer [1471–1528])

Three woodcuts with accompanying letterpress Latin rubricated text on laid paper from Hartmann Schedel’s (1440–1514) “Liber Chronicarum” (aka “World Chronicle”; “Nuremberg Chronicle”), published in Nuremberg (Norimbergae) by Anton Koberger (aka Antonius Koberger) (1445–1513) in 1493:

(recto) “Family of St John the Baptist”, 1493;

(verso) “Strabo”—a Roman geographer and philosopher, 1493;

(verso) "Zachary and Elisabeth”—the parents of St John the Baptist, 1493.

These prints may be viewed online in the context of “Liber Chronicarum” at archive.org:

https://archive.org/details/A335107/page/n211/mode/2up and

https://archive.org/details/A335107/page/n209/mode/2up.  

Size: (sheet) 22.2 x 15.2 cm.

Condition: richly inked and strong lifetime impressions (based on the lines showing no sign of wear to the printing plates). The sheet has been trimmed from the full leaf and is in excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling these strong 15^th century woodcuts (recto and verso) executed in Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer’s lifetime, for AU$277 (currently US$203.67/EUR170.24/GBP152.94 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing these Renaissance period woodcuts showing the family of St John the Baptist and accompanied with rubricated Latin text, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

JMW Turner’s etching with mezzotint, “Jason”, 1807

(Etcher) Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851)

(Engraver) Charles Turner (pseudonym: Renrut) (1774–1857)

“Jason”, 1807, from the series, “Liber Studiorum”, published in Part I by JMW Turner in London.

Mezzotint and etching printed in a brown ink on laid paper (presumably Auvergne paper made by T Dupuy [see Finberg p. 1xxvii]) with a narrow margin around the plate mark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 21.3 x 29.5 cm; (plate); 21 x 29.2 cm; (image borderline) 18.4 x 25.9 cm.

Lettered on plate above the image borderline: (centre) "H".

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Drawn & Etched by J.M.W. Turner R. A.”; (centre) “JASON./ Published as the Act directs by J.M.W. Turner Harley Street.”; (right) “Engraved by C. Turner”.

State i/ii (of v) with “Marginal line at right and other lines imperfectly bitten” before the second state showing “Marginal line completed. … Margins cleaned” (Finberg pp. 23–24). The state may however be from the second state as the initial (“H”) is no longer an open letter (i.e. it is filled in).

Finberg 6; (Alexander J Finberg 1988, “J. M. W. Turner’s Liber Studiorum with a Catalogue Raisonné”, San Francisco, Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, pp. 21–24, cat. no. 6).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“On the right, Jason climbs over broken tree-trunks in the foreground towards a cavern in the rock in which a coil of a serpent is seen emerging”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1900-0824-10).

The Tate Gallery offers the following explanation of the portrayed subject based on JMW Turner’s painting of the same title (see URL below):

“Jason was a Greek hero, challenged to bring home from Colchis a golden fleece belonging to a marvellous ram. Here, Jason is seen stealing up on a dragon which he must outwit to gain the fleece.

The hero’s courage is emphasised by the way Turner suggests, rather than shows, the size and ferocity of the dragon. A single coil of its body emerges from the deep shadow, while the bones of previous human victims are scattered in front of its lair”

(https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-jason-n00471).

Condition: a richly inked early impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate. The sheet is trimmed close to the platemark with chips to the margin edges and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this exceptionally rare early impression of an important print in Turner’s oeuvre, for AU$433 (currently US$319.81/EUR267.08/GBP239.65 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this superb etching showing Turner’s amazing creative invention—note, for example, his use of a latticework of lines to create shadow at the lower left—and imagination to suggest the awesome might of the dragon lurking in the cave by showing only a section of its arching tail, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold 

Gabriel/Nicolas/Adam Perelle’s circular etching, “Plate 6”, c1660

Gabriel Perelle (aka Gabriel Pairelle) (1604–1677)/Nicolas Perelle (1631–c1695)/Adam Perelle (1640–1695)

Note: all prints in the British Museum that are inscribed with the name, “Perelle,” are catalogued under the father’s name, “Gabriel Perelle” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG41615). The Rijksmuseum advises: (transl.) “Prints with the signature 'Perelle' can be made by father Gabriel as well as by sons” (see RP-P-OB-72.016).

Etching on fine laid paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 30.1 x 25.7 cm; (plate) 18 x 17.5 cm; (image borderline dia.) 17.1 cm.

Inscribed on plate below the image borderline at lower left: “Inuenté et graué par Perelle […] Auec priuil.du Roy […]  VI”.

Condition: a superb, richly inked and well-printed impression with wide margins. Beyond a printer’s mark on the plate edge at right, the sheet is in a museum-quality condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this very strong impression of a round formatted landscape framed by trees with boatmen in the foreground, travellers/herdsmen with cattle in the middle distance and a distant view over rough terrain to a watch tower and other buildings, for AU$256 (currently US$189.18/EUR158.04/GBP142.09 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this superb landscape etching rendered with the finest of details and capturing the sparkling light and clean air of the rural countryside in the 17^th century, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.