Cornelis Bloemaert, “A Woman with Poultry”, c.1625, after Abraham Bloemaert

Cornelis Bloemaert (1603–1692)

“A Woman with Poultry” (aka “Reclining Peasant Girl”), c.1625, plate 2 from a series of sixteen engravings, “The Praise of Sloth” (aka “The Leisure Series” [BM title]; “The Delight of Leisure”; “Otia Delectant”), published by Cornelis Bloemaert, after a pen drawing in the reverse direction (in Dessau) by Cornelis’ father, Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651) with two lines of Latin verse by Hendrik de Roij (1598–1678).

Engraving on fine laid paper, trimmed along the image borderline and writing edge, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 10.8 x 15.4 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (centre) “Me veniente die merx rustica mittit ad urbem;/ Nec gravor: id lucri spes mihi dulce facit” (The rural merchandise leads me early towards town. But I do not complain; the expectation of the rewards is sweet to me); (right) “2”.

Roethlisberger 298 (Marcel G. Roethlisberger 1993, “Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons: Paintings and Prints”, vol. 1, Davaco, Doornspuk, p. 232, cat. no. 298).

Roethlisberger (1993) offers the following insights about this print: “Taking produce to market is a motif recurring in other prints by Bloemaert and in some genre paintings of the mid-thirties. It will be remembered that dairy farmers were among the most prosperous peasant of the time […] on the right are the rays of the rising sun” (p. 232). See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_D-7-199.

Condition a strong and well-printed impression trimmed along the imagd borderline and retaining the writing edge. There are restored fractures to the left edge, otherwise the sheet is in a good condition with no significant stains and is laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins.

I am selling this very beautiful engraving for AU $251 in total (currently/approximately US $166.29/ EUR 154.42/ GBP 132.41 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU $251) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in acquiring this marvellous image of country-life in the early 1600s, where a resting farm worker is shown holding the legs of two surprisingly calm chickens next to a market-basket and cane, 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