Jean Cousin, “Treating Illness or Injury”, 1558

Attributed to, or from the circle of, Jean Cousin the younger (c1525–c1595), and/or Jean Goujon (c1510–c1565/68), and/or Germain Pilon (1535–1590) (see attribution offered by Christie’s Auctions: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5909342).

“Treating Illness or Injury”, 1558, published in Paris in 1558 by Maurice de La Porte (II) (1490–1558) as an illustration on the verso of page 88 to André Thevet’s (1516–1590) “Les Singularitez de la France antarctique, autrement nommée Amérique: & de plusieurs terres & isles decouvertes de nostre temps” (The Singularities of Antarctic France, otherwise called America: & of several lands & islands discovered in our time).

Archive.org offers an online view of this print and its context in the publication: https://archive.org/details/DELTA54095RES/page/n203/mode/2up.

To give an idea of the flavour of the text accompanying this extraordinarily fine woodcut, the following extract relates to the illustration: (Google transl.) “If one of them is injured by illness or otherwise, he is obliged to sew his wound, until he is cured: and while they make certain meats, each one being contrary to the other. They have a method of making incisions around the shoulders, and they get out of it with whatever quantity of languish they make, with some very sharp kind of grass, or with the teeth of some beasts. Their way of living when sick is that they will never give the patient anything to eat, unless he asks for it first…” (p. 89).

Woodcut on laid paper trimmed around the image borderline with letterpress text verso, backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 8.9 x 11 cm; (image borderline) 8.2 x 10.8 cm.

Condition: a strong lifetime impression (based on the quality of line showing no sign of wear to the printing plate) trimmed with a thread margin. The sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains, laid upon a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins.

I am selling this exceptionally rare and historically important Renaissance period woodcut showing for the first time in Europe a scene of Brazilians treating a man suffering from an illness or injury, for AU$247 (equivalent to approximately US$158.03, EUR 139, or GBP 118.68 at the time of listing) and includes Express Mail Service (EMS) postage and handling to any worldwide destination. Please note that any import duties or taxes levied by the destination country are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the purchase price. Payment is requested in Australian dollars (AU$247).

If you are interested in this extraordinary woodcut executed in Michelangelo’s lifetime showing one of earliest depictions of indigenous native Americans, 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