Erasmus Quellinus' etching, “Samson Fighting the Lion”, c1655, after Rubens

Erasmus Quellinus (II) (1607–1678)

“Samson Fighting the Lion”, c1655 (1635–75), after Peter Paul Rubens (aka Petrus Paulus Rubenius) (1577–1640), published by Rombout van de Velde (fl.1645) in Antwerp.

Etching on fine laid paper trimmed along the image borderline (with loss of the text line beneath the image) and backed with two support sheets.

Size: (sheet) 11.4 x 13.6 cm.

State i (of iii) before the addition of the artist’s initials at the lower left corner (see BM No. S.5325).

Hollstein Dutch 1-3; Corpus Rubenianum III 27 (copy 2); Schneevoogt 1873 6.40.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Samson fighting the lion; with his bare hands, Samson forces open the mouth of the struggling lion; after Peter Paul Rubens”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1628505&partId=1&searchText=Erasmus+Quellinus+&page=1)

Condition: richly inked, superb lifetime impression showing no sign of wear to the plate (compare this impression to the somewhat worn impressions held by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.341531 & http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.341530), trimmed to the image borderline and backed with support sheets (viz. a sheet approximating a narrow margin around the image borderline and an archival support of [millennium quality] washi paper). The sheet is in excellent condition but there is a restored nick on the lower edge at left-of-centre and a pale mark behind the lion.

I am selling this exceptionally rare etching in museum quality condition for the total cost of AU$379 (currently US$264.63/EUR235.57/GBP211.38 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 small but graphically arresting print after Ruben’s design and executed by a possible pupil of Rubens, 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