Jaspar Isaac’s engraving, “Evadne”, c1609

Jaspar Isaac (aka Gasper Isac; Jaspar Isac; Gaspard Isac; Jaspar Isacsz; Jasper de Isaac) (fl.1585–1654)

“Evadne”, c1609, after Antoine Caron (aka Antoine Charon) (1521–1599), illustration to Blaise de Vigenère’s (1523 –1596) translation of Philostratus’ (170?–245 AD) “Les images ou tableaux de platte peinture des deux Philostrates …”, first published in Paris in 1609 by Claude Cramoisy and later republished in 1614/15, 1617 and 1637 (see the plates from the 1637 edition at http://jjgueron.free.fr/LIVRES-VIGENERE-1637-MINIATURES.htm and this plate at http://jjgueron.free.fr/LIVRES-VIGENERE-1637-P533-EVADNE.htm).

This plate is the illustration to the episode of Evadne’s throwing herself to her death onto the funeral pyre of her husband who was killed by a bolt of lightning during the siege of Thebes.

Note that Getty images attribute this engraving (“Evadne”) to Leonard Gaultier who also engraved plates in the same publication, but to my eyes the style of this image is much closer to Isaac than Gaultier and, importantly, the plate is signed to Isaac

(see https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/evadne-1615-a-daughter-of-iphis-and-wife-of-capaneus-with-news-photo/463922553).

Note: the 1637 edition of the publication in which this plate features (p. 553) is available online or may be downloaded free of charge from archive.org: https://archive.org/details/gri_33125008279552/page/n551.

Engraving with letterpress text (recto and verso) on fine laid paper backed with a support sheet with the verso of the support sheet cut with a “window” exposing an ornamental woodcut panel of scrolls, grotesques and animals (viz. hares, horses and snails).

Size: (sheet) 31.6 x 21.4 cm; (plate) 24 x 20 (image borderline) 23.2 x 19 cm; (verso woodcut) 3.9 x 16.7 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower left corner) “Iaspar Isac f.”

Letterpress text and numbered above the plate: (centre) “EVADNE.”; (right) “533”

Letterpress text below the plate: (centre) “DIALOGVE’.”; (five lines of text in two columns) “D. Euadné qui te faiet couir ur ce rocher [D. Euadne who makes you go on this rock] …/ …/ …/ …/ D. Qui causa tes ennuys er ta douleur extremes? [D, Which caused your troubles and your extreme pain/] // R. La mort de mon mary qui se ruina soy-mesme. [R. The death of my husband who ruined himself.] / …/ …/ …/ Voicy que par ma mort i'expieray son offence. [Here, by my death, I will express his offense.] / Yy iiij”

Condition: crisp impression of the full sheet as published. There are fractures to the edges of the sheet, a restored printer’s crease at the lower left and the lower left corner is chipped. The sheet has been laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper with a “window” cut into the support sheet (verso) to expose the woodcut printed on the back.

I am selling this graphically arresting engraving from c1609 for AU$320 (currently US$229.14/EUR203.55/GBP176.12 at the time of this listing) including 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 marvellous example of the stylistic attributes of late Mannerism featuring a highly stylised treatment of fire and swirling smoke, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

woodcut on verso of sheet