Jan Saenredam’s engraving, “Adam and Eve Mourning the Death of Abel”, 1604, after Abraham Bloemaert

Jan Saenredam (aka Jan Pietersz. Saenredam; Jan Pietersz. Zaenredam; Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam) (c1565–1607)

“Adam and Eve Mourning the Death of Abel” (aka “Adam en Eva treuren om de dood van Abel“; “Adam et Ève Pleurant la Mort d'Abel”; “Adam and Eve Lamenting the Slain Abel”),1604, plate 6 from the series of six engravings, “Story of Adam” (TIB title) (aka “The story of Adam and Eve”), after the design by Abraham Bloemaert (aka Abraham Bloemaart) (1564–1651) and published by Jan Saenredam.

Engraving with restorations to fractures on the edges and retouching of early brown ink linework over the upper body of Eve (possibly to conceal Eve’s nudity by adding clothes). The sheet has been trimmed with a thread margin around the image borderline (with loss of the text lines below the image) and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 26.5 x 19.8 cm; (image borderline) 26.4 x 19.5 cm.

Inscribed in plate: (lower centre) “A. Bloemaert inue./ J. Saenredam Sculp. 6”.

TIB 4.18 (Walter L. Strauss [ed.] 1980, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists: Matham; Saenredam; Muller”, vol., 4, New York, Abaris Books, p. 327, cat. no. 18); Hollstein Dutch 6 (George Shepard Keyes [comp.] 1980, “The New Hollstein: German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts c1450–1700: Jan Saenredam to Roelandt Savery”, vol., 23, Amsterdam, Van Gendt & Co, p. 8, cat. no. 6); Roethlisberger 77 (Marcel G. Roethlisberger 1993, “Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons: Paintings and Prints”, vol. 1, Davaco, Doornspuk, p. 125, cat. no. 77).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “The elderly Adam and Eve lament over the corpse of Abel; a jawbone lies discarded on the ground lower right corner; after Bloemaert” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1856-0815-56).

See also the Rijksmuseum’s description of this print which adds further insights: [transl.) “Adam and Eve find the dead Abel at the place of sacrifice. Both are on their knees before their son's corpse and mourn. In the background the sacrifice of Abel and Cain and the murder of Abel” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.169222).

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with restored fractures on the edges and retouched early brown ink linework over the upper body of Eve (to lessen the visual distraction). The sheet has been trimmed with a thread margin around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins.

I am selling this magnificent engraving with its interesting past life revealed by a previous collector’s endeavours to hide the nudity of Eve by adding a drawn a short-sleeved garment to conceal her breasts—the brown ink additions have been retouched to lessen their visual distraction—for the total cost of AU$349 (currently US$233.27/EUR211.06/GBP185.80 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 spectacularly fine engraving, 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