Antonio Tempesta’s etching, “Alexander Attacking Tyre from the Sea”, 1608

Antonio Tempesta (1555? –1630)

“Alexander Attacking Tyre from the Sea” (aka “Alexander de Grote valt Tyrus aan vanuit zee”), 1608, plate 7 (VII) from the series of twelve plates including the title plate (TIB 545–555), “Alexandri Magni Praecipuae res Gestae” (aka “The Principal Deeds of Alexander the Great”; “The Life of Alexander the Great”), initially published in Antwerp by Johannes Baptista Vrints (fl.c1575–1610). This impression was published Amsterdam before 1652 by Claes Jansz. Visscher II (aka Piscator; Nicolaes Jansz Visscher) (1587–1652).

Etching on a full sheet of laid paper with deckle edges on all sides as published including the two binding holes at left.

Size: (sheet) 33 x 42.5 cm; (plate) 22.2 x 29 cm.

State ii (of ii) with the addition of the Arabic number “7”.

Lettered and numbered below the image borderline: “Legatis infesta Tyros Neptunia, mole/ Press Gygantæa nauali clade subacta// VII// Menstrua post septem redeuntis cornua lunæ/ Pellæo iuueni meritas luit improba pœnas.// 7”

TIB (Buffa 1984) 35.551 (143) (Sebastian Buffa [ed.] 1984, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta”, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 279, cat. no. 551 [143]) TIB 3501.489 S2 (Eckhard Leuschner 2007, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta", vol. 35. Part 2 [Commentary], New York, Abaris Books, p. 91, cat. no. [3501] .489 S2);  Bartsch XVII.143.551.

See also the descriptions of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum and Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.183467; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/401385

Eckhard Leuschner (2007) in his commentary on this print (TIB vol, 35, Part 2 [Commentary]) offers the following insight regarding the context of this illustration:

“The most important source for Alexander’s siege of the Syrian city of Tyre is Quintus Curtius Rufus, “History of Alexander”, 4, 2–4. Tempesta’s print was used for the decoration of a majolica dish from Castelli in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg (produced between 1670 and 1700 …)” (p. 91).

Condition: a well-printed impression showing very few signs of wear to the printing plate. The etching is on a full sheet of laid paper with a deckle edge of all sides (including binding holes at left) in a near pristine condition for its considerable age with only a small ink mark verso.

I am selling this rare impression in near pristine condition printed as published on a full sheet of early laid paper with two binding holes at left, for the total cost of AU$297 (currently US$201.79/EUR200.04/GBP170.06 at the time of posting this print) 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 theatrically dramatic battle scene 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.

Antonio Tempesta’s etching, “Cerialis Driving the Dutch into the Rhine”, 1612

Antonio Tempesta (1555? –1630)

“Cerialis Driving the Dutch into the Rhine” (aka “Cerialis drijft de Bataven in de Rijn”; “Cerialis drives the Batavians into the Rhine”), 1612, plate 30 from the series, “The Batavian Revolt” (aka “The War of the Romans Against the Batavians”), possibly based on a lost preparatory drawing by Otto van Veen (aka Venius) (1556–1629)—the teacher of Rubens.

Etching on laid paper, trimmed around the platemark on three sides and slightly within on the right side, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 16.9 x 21 cm; (image borderline) 14.8 x 20.7 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline with Antonio Tempesta’s ligature monogram (“AT”) under the foot of the archer on the far-left side.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left in four lines of Dutch text) “Des anderen daeghs is den slagh aenghegaen, neffens den Ryn: hier hadde/ Civilis bycans de victorie: maer Cerialis door aduys van eenen overlooper/ schickt ruyters van achter dor t’verdroncken landt, daer den grondt hart/ was; ende wint den slagh, dryuende de Hollanders in den Ryn.”; (centre) “30”; (right in four lines of Latin text) “Postridie iterum acriter ad Rhenum pugnatur; victoria penes/ Civilem stetisset, ni perfuga Batavus Cerialem adijsset,/ terga hostium promittens, se per extrema paludism eques mittere-/ tur, qui deinde circumfusus hosti Batavos in Rhenum compulit.”

Eckhard Leuschner (2007) in his commentary on this print (TIB vol, 35, Part 2 [Commentary], p. 146) offers the following insight regarding the context of this illustration:

“Illustrates Tacitus, Histories, V, 18: Due to the treachery of a Batavian deserter, the Dutch troops are defeated by Cerialis and driven into the Rhine. A picture by Otto van Veen, titularly on the same subject, but composed very differently, is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (A 431).”

State i (of ii) “without text on the verso” (TIB 3501.526 S1 12)

TIB 3501.526 S1 12 (B 589) (Eckhard Leuschner 2007, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta", vol. 35. Part 2 [Commentary], New York, Abaris Books, p. 146, cat. no. [3501] .526 S1 122); TIB (Buffa 1984) 35.589 (145) (Sebastian Buffa [ed.] 1984, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta”, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 318, cat. no. 589 [145]).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.439313.

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed impression showing a few areas of wear to the printing plate, trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in an excellent condition for its considerable age with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this strong impression of a rare print exemplifying the Baroque period style, for the total cost of AU$304 (currently US$232.26/EUR196.91/GBP168.41 at the time of posting this print) 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 relatively small etching showing a grand scale battle scene, 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 

Antonio Tempesta’s etching, “Darius Fleeing from the Battlefield”, 1608

Antonio Tempesta (1555? –1630)

“Darius Fleeing from the Battlefield”, 1608, plate six from the series of eleven plates, “Alexandri Magni Praecipuae res Gestae” (The Principal Deeds of Alexander the Great), initially published by Johannes Baptista Vrints (fl.c1575–1610), followed by Claes Jansz. Visscher (aka Nicolaes Jansz.Visscher; Nicolas Joannis Visscher II; Piscator) (1587–1652) in Amsterdam. This impression is from the Visscher edition.

Etching with pale plate tone on early laid paper (with the attribute of earlier laid paper of showing thickening around the chainlines) with full margins and binding holes on the left margin as published.

Size: (sheet) 32.5 x 42.5 cm; (plate) 22.3 x 28.6 cm; (image borderline) 20.1 x 28.4 cm.

Monogrammed on plate within the image borderline: (lower left corner in ligature) “ATE”.

Numbered and lettered on plate below the image borderline: “Ad[v]ersos frustra Di[v]os testatus, et armis/ Pallidus excussis, Persarum terga caballi// VI// Inscendit ductor, socias dum cæde cater[v]as/ Polluit Emathius, stragisque exultat acer[v]is.// 6.”

State ii (of ii) with the additional Arabic number at lower right: “6”.

TIB (Leuschner 2007) 3501.488 S2 (Eckhard Leuschner 2007, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta", vol. 35. Commentary, Part 2, New York, Abaris Books, p. 90, cat. no. [3501] .488 S2); TIB (Buffa 1984) 35.550 (143) (Sebastian Buffa [ed.] 1984, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta”, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 278, cat. no. 550[143]); Bartsch XVII.143.550 ii/ii (Adam von Bartsch 1803, “Le Peintre graveur,” vol. 17, Vienna, p. 143, cat. nos. 545–556).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print:

(Transl.) “Alexander the Great's army is fighting the Persian army. In the foreground the Persian king Darius fleeing the battle. Four-line Latin verse in two columns in the bottom margin” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.183466).

See also the description of a first state impression offered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/401373.

Condition: a well-printed early/lifetime impression still showing surface scratches before they wore away, full margins and binding holes at left. The sheet is in an excellent condition for its considerable age with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this superb, museum quality impression of a rare print—note that this etching is not in the collection of the British Museum—for the total cost of AU$276 (currently US$201.31/EUR169.93/GBP155.82 at the time of posting this print) 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 grand scale battle scene 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

Antonio Tempesta’s etching, “Great Bison”, c.1620

Antonio Tempesta (1555?–1630)

“Great Bison” (aka “Bisons magnus/Bisonte grando”), c.1620, first state unnumbered impression from the series of 206 plates, "Nova raccolta animali piu curiosi del mondo" (aka “Animals and mythical creatures”), possibly published in Rome by Giovanni Giacomo de'Rossi (1627–1691) in or before 1650 (arguably with papal privilege from Pope Innocent X).

Etching and engraving on fine laid paper with an unevenly trimmed narrow margin around the plate mark.

Size: (sheet) 19.5 x 14.1 cm; (plate) 9.7 x 13.8 cm; (image borderline) 9 x 13.6 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Bisons magnus”; (right) “Bisonte grando”

State i (of ii) before the addition of the plate number.

Note: this is a rare print that is not held in the collection of either the British Museum or the Rijksmuseum, but the Rijksmuseum holds the two other etchings of bisons from the same series:

“Bisons/Bisonte” (aka Crested Bison) (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.184394)

“Bisont/Bisone” (aka Locobardus Bison) (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.184303).

In earlier posts I have showcased a few other etchings by Tempesta of animals that one doesn’t often see. For example, in one of his animal prints Tempesta featured a hippopotamus cleverly disguised as a beaver (see http://www.printsandprinciples.com/2016/12/antonio-tempestas-17th-century.htm). In another, he shared his fantasy by portraying a half dog and half goat having a wonderful time leaping around while being watched by a two-headed, six legged donkey (see http://www.printsandprinciples.com/2017/08/antonio-tempestas-etching-capras-canis.html).

Condition: richly inked and well-printed impression trimmed unevenly with a narrow margin around the plate mark. The sheet is in superb condition for its considerable age with remnants of old mounting verso and minor staining.

I am selling this rare lifetime impression of Europe’s Great Bison—I understand that this bison has 14 ribs whereas the American bison has 15 ribs—for AU$286 in total (currently US$197.64/EUR175.96/GBP159.58 at the time of posting 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 remarkable print featuring in the distant background a grim scene of a horse and rider attacked by a bison, 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

Antonio Tempesta’s etching, “Civilis’ Troops Crossing the Maas River”, 1611

Antonio Tempesta (1555?–1630)

“Civilis’ Troops Crossing the Maas River” (TIB’s title) (aka “Troops of Julius Civilis cross the Maas” [Rijkesmuseum’s transl. title]), 1611, after the design by Otto van Veen (1556–1629), plate 11 from the series of 37 plates (including the frontispiece/titlepage), “The War of the Romans against the Batavians” (Romanorvm et Batavorvm societas), illustrating Tacitus’ “Histories” (c.100–110), Book IV, lifetime impression published in the first edition with Latin text verso by Otto van Veen in 1611 in Antwerp.

Etching (with letterpress text verso) on laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 17.4 x 21.4 cm; (plate) 16.7 x 21.3 cm; (image borderline) 14.7 x 21.1 cm.

Monogrammed on plate at lower left corner: “AT” (in ligature).

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (in four lines of Dutch text at left): "Civilis de Ceulsche daer hy op verbittert was (mits dien sy hun/ vaderlandt verloochenende, eenen Roomschen naem, tweten Agrippynen/ aenghenomen hadden) verslaghen hebbende, schickt syn volck over de Mase,/ quellende de Geldersche, Triersche, ende Terouaensch frontieren."; (center within a circle) “11”; (in four lines of Latin text at right) “Ciuilis cæsis Vbijs (quos, eó quòd vetus exuentes no:/ men, Romanum assumsissent, exosos habebat) suos/ trans Mosam dirigit, qui Menapios, Treuiros, et/ Morinos fines infestant, damnaque varia inferunt.”

Latin letterpress text verso.

State i (of ii) Note: TIB lists this impression with Latin text verso as “SI II” and the impressions without the text verso as “SI I2”. In the second state the plate is “heavily retouched” and with “PLANCHE XII./ INVASION DE CIVILIS/ DANS LA GAULE BELGIQUE.” (among other changes). There is also a copy in the same direction executed by Joseph Mulder and inscribed, “I. Mulder fecit."

TIB (Leuschner 2007) 3501.507 S1 11 (Eckhard Leuschner 2007, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta, vol. 35. Commentary, Part 2, New York, Abaris Books, p. 121); TIB (Buffa 1984) 570 (Sebastian Buffa [ed.] 1984, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta”, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 299, cat. no. 570); Nagler XVIII.179.560-.595 (G K Nagler 1835–52, “Neus allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon” [22 vols]); Bartsch XVII.145.570 i/ii (Adam von Bartsch 1803, “Le Peintre graveur,” vol. 17, Vienna, p. 145, cat. no. 560–595).

The Rijksmuseum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art offer descriptions of this print:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.183536;

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/401439.

Eckhard Leuschner (2007, TIB, vol. 35, Commentary Part 2) offers the following insights about the letterpress text on verso; “…Civilis’s military operations against neighboring tribes are described, especially against the Ubii which he hated more than the others because they had romanized their name and now called themselves Agrippinenses” (p. 121).

Condition: well-printed lifetime impression trimmed with a small margin around the platemark and laid upon a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The upper left and lower right corners and a small hole above the helmet of Civilis have restorations otherwise the sheet is in excellent condition for its considerable age.

I am selling this superb first state/first edition/lifetime impression of one of the more desirable of Tempesta’s etchings from the series, “The War of the Romans against the Batavians”, for the total cost of AU$274 (currently US$181.95/EUR164.08/GBP147.64 at the time of posting this print) 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 graphically strong image full of swirling action, but without the extreme use of distortions typifying the earlier period style of Mannerism, and executed when Rembrandt was only a five-year-old boy, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Note that this is the second impression of Tempesta's same etching that I have listed. The previous copy is from the later edition without the text verso and has been sold.

This print has been sold