Abraham Blooteling, "Plate 81: Flayed Human Foot, Leg,” 1685, after Gerard de Lairesse

Abraham Blooteling (also known as Abraham Bloteling, Abraham Blotelingh, and Abraham Blootelingh) (1640–1690) and Pieter Stevens van Gunst (aka Pieter van Gunst) (1658/59–c.1731)

"Plate 81: Flayed Human Foot, Leg" — Extensor Muscles and Tendons of the Lower Limb, 1685

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraving on laid paper with full margins as issued. This engraving is based on a drawing from the École de Médecine, Paris, by Gerard de Lairesse (1640/41–1711), and is Plate 81 (Tab. 81) in Govard Bidloo’s (1649–1713) landmark anatomical atlas, “Anatomia humani corporis / Ontleding des menschelyken lichaams," first published in 1685 in Amsterdam by the widow of Johan van Someren (1622–1676).

Note: This impression features the 3 cm chain-lines characteristic of the first edition of 1685. The later edition of 1734, published by Jacob van Poolsum (1701–1762) in Utrecht, has 2.5 cm chain-lines. The watermark, reading “BRUN/ EN/ DANGOU,” possibly indicates the Brun family as the paper manufacturer— a prominent name in French papermaking. The last line may refer to its manufacture in d'Angoumois, aligning with the 1688 and 1739 decrees requiring papermakers to include their name and province of origin in the watermark. This three-line watermark helps date this impression to between 1688 and 1739.

The impression is strong and well-printed, with only minor signs of wear to the plate. The sheet is in excellent condition, free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or stains

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 53.5 x 36.5 cm
• Platemark: 50 x 30.6 cm

Lettered on Plate:

• Upper-right corner: “T.81.”
• Within the image, key points are lettered from “A” to “Q”. (“A”—knee; “B”—fibula; “C”—portions of tibia; “D”—calf; “E”—tibialis anterior muscle; etc.)

References:

• Throwbridge Gallery offers a detailed description of this print and an insightful account of the history and controversies surrounding its publication: https://trowbridgegallery.com.au/shop/medical/william-cowper/william-cowper-t81/
• Archive.org offers an online view of this print and its context within the publication: https://archive.org/details/gri_33125008642049/page/n273/mode/2up
• Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bidloo_Ontleding_1690_81.jpg

Price & Shipping:

AU$388 (approximately US$275.76 / €235.97 / £205.97), including worldwide express shipping. Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in acquiring this large and renowned masterwork of anatomical engraving—an exceptional display of craftsmanship and ingenuity in depicting muscles and tendons—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Marcus Gheeraerts I, “The Donkey, Buffalo, Camel, and Mule”, 1617

Marcus Gheeraerts I (also known as Marc Garrard, Marcus Geraerts, and Marcus Gheraerts) (1516/21–c.1590)

“The Donkey, Buffalo, Camel, and Mule” or “De Ezel, Buffel, Kameel, en Muyle”, 1617

Technical Details & Condition:

Book leaf with full margins as issued, printed on laid paper, with letterpress text (recto and verso), featuring an etching numbered "88" on page numbered “88” by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder. This leaf is from a book of 125 animal fables used to illustrate moral philosophy, “Warande der Dieren” (Garden of Animals), published in Amsterdam in its fourth edition in 1617. 

The accompanying text describes a historical event recounted by the Roman historian Livy, detailing a moment when the common citizens of Rome (gemeene Burgers) complained to the Roman Council (Roomschen raet) about being forced into excessive labour at home and in the fields, effectively serving as slaves. 

The etching is a richly inked and well-printed impression. The sheet is in excellent condition, free of tears, holes, stains, or handling marks

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 19.6 x 15.5 cm
• Platemark: 9.6 x 11.2
• Image borderline: 9.3 x 11.1 cm

References:

• Hollstein (Dutch) 1–108 (FWH Hollstein, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca.1450–1700: FOUCEEL–GOLE”, vol. VII, 1949, Amsterdam, Menno Hertzberger, p. 100, cat. nos. 1–108 [4^th edition with 125 plates])
• Archive.org offers an online view of this publication from the later 1682 edition: https://archive.org/details/vorstelijckewara00vond/page/n189/mode/2up

Price & Shipping:

AU$214 (approximately US$151.72 / €128.81 / £112.97), including worldwide express shipping. Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you're interested in acquiring this superbly executed emblem print—depicting four 'beasts of burden' within rugged terrain as an emblematic metaphor for common labourers, used to argue the 17th-century notion that a person’s social “lot in life” was part of a divine or natural order that should not be disturbed—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold

Louis van Houtte & Joseph Guillaume de Pannemaeker, “Catawba Rhododendron (Duc de Brabant variety)”, c. 1853

Louis van Houtte (sometimes misidentified as “Horto van Houtteano," which is Latin/Portuguese for “Van Houtte's Garden” and the publisher’s name for Van Houtte) (1810–1876) in collaboration with Pieter Joseph Guillaume de Pannemaeker (1832–1904)—one of Van Houtte’s key lithographers and a preeminent botanical artist.

“Catawba Rhododendron (Duc de Brabant variety)” or “Rhododendrum Catawb. Duc de Brabant” (as titled in the plate) or “Rhododendron catawbiense 'Duc de Brabant'” (the scientific name), c. 1853

Note: The "Duc de Brabant" refers to the title held by Leopold II, the future King of the Belgians. Naming a hardy, "noble" flower after the heir to the throne was a strategic political and marketing move by Van Houtte.

Technical Details & Condition:

Chromolithograph (possibly with hand finishing) on wove paper, with full margins and gatefold as issued. Published in Ghent by Van Houtte’s publishing house, Horto van Houtteano, between 1853 and 1854, as a double-page (“folding”) illustration—plate numbers 924-925—part of Louis van Houtte’s “Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe: Annales Générales d'Horticulture” (Flowers of the Greenhouses and Gardens of Europe, General Annals of Horticulture), volume 9. The sheet is mounted on archival-quality washi paper, allowing the fold to be flattened and supported. The impression is strong and well-printed. The sheet is in excellent (near-pristine) condition, free of tears, holes, stains, or handling marks.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 33 x 24.2 cm

Lettered on Plate:

• Lower centre: “RHODODENDRUM CATAWB. Duc de Brabant/ ħ [the letter ‘h’ with its elongated tail is the printer’s abbreviation for ‘Hybride’ / hybrid”] Semis Ledeberg-Pleine terre [Seedling from Ledeberg—Open ground]”
• Lower right: “uff. lith et pict— in Horto van Houtteano”

Price & Shipping:

AU$212 (approximately US$150.91 / €127.70 / £111.93), including worldwide express shipping. Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you're interested in acquiring this exceptionally beautiful colour lithograph of a spray of Rhododendron flowers—specifically from a hybrid seedling cultivated for its notable (and historically significant in 19th-century Belgium) ability to survive in “pleine terre” (open ground) despite freezing conditions—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Jan Luyken, “Top Floor of Noah’s Ark,” 1690

Jan Luyken (aka Jan Luijken) (1649–1712), or an artist from his circle

“Top Floor of Noah’s Ark,” or “Derde of Bovenste Verdieping der Arke”(Third or Top Floor of the Ark) — plan view of the top floor of Noah’s Ark, revealing the living quarters for Noah and his family, along with stalls for birds, 1690

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching printed on laid paper with full margins and gatefolds, as published. This large print is plate 1025 from volume 2 of Wilhelmus Goeree’s “Preparations for Biblical Wisdom and the Use of Sacred and Ecclesiastical History,” published in Amsterdam in 1690. The sheet is laid upon a support of archival-quality washi paper, which allows the published folds of the large print to be flattened and supported. The impression is strong and well-printed—near flawless. The sheet is in excellent condition, free of tears, holes, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 33 x 54.8 cm
• Platemark: 27.6 x 51.6 cm
• Image borderline: 27 x 51.2 cm

Plate Lettering (with translation of the Dutch text):

• Upper centre: “Derde/ of Bovenste Verdieping/ der ARKE,/ alwaar de Woonplaatsen voor NOACH/ en syn Huisgezin, beneffens alle de/ Koojen en Nesten der Vogelen, seer/ ordentlyk geplaatst waaren.” (Third or Top Floor of the Ark, where the dwellings for Noah and his family, as well as all the cages and nests of the birds, were very neatly arranged.)
• Upper right corner: “1025”
• Centre (with explanatory text for each stall): “Grond vlakten der Derde Verdieping.” (Ground levels of the third floor.)
• Lower centre: “de Arke in haar Bovenste verdieping, op de lengde van dry-honderd ellen in onderscheide Woonplaatsen voor Menschen en Vogelen in Opstal afgedeeld.” (The Ark in its uppermost storey, on the length of three hundred cubits, divided into distinct dwelling places for people and birds in the building.)

References:
• Van Eeghen 1131 (Pieter van Eeghen & Johan Philip van der Kellen 1905, Het werk van Jan en Casper Luyken, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller & Co., vol. 1, p. 193, cat. no. [11]31 [see https://archive.org/details/hetwerkvanjanen00kellgoog/page/n296/mode/2up])
• Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200223349

Price & Shipping:
AU$288 (approximately US$205.01 / €173.48 / £152.05), including worldwide express shipping. Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you're interested in acquiring this remarkable etching—offering a detailed plan of how the animals could have been accommodated on Noah’s Ark (noting that the birds of paradise in the stall labelled “BB” are depicted flying, as at the time, these birds were thought never to land and were sometimes portrayed with nests on their backs!)—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold