Hans Weiditz II’s woodcut, “From a Volcanic and Fertile Field”, c.1532

Hans Weiditz II (aka The Petrarch Master) (1500–1536) (Designer)

“From a Volcanic and Fertile Field” (aka “Twee ploegers en andere landarbeiders” [Rijksmuseum title]; “Two Ploughmen and Other Farm Workers”; “Von einem wolgebawten und fruchtbaren Acker”; “Of a Fertile Field”; “Von einem fruchtbaren Acker”), c.1532 (1514 –1532 [Rijksmuseum dates]), originally published in Augsburg in 1532 and printed by Heinrich Steiner (fl.1522–1548) (see http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.726091).

This impression (with breaks in the image borderline at left) is from the 1572 edition of Francesco Petrarca’s (1304–1374) “Trostspiegel in Glück vnd Vnglück..”, published in Frankfurt-am-Main by Christian Egenolff I’s (aka Egenolph) (1502–1555) widow, Margarethe, on the verso of page LVII (57). Note that the plate was published with an unbroken borderline in Petrarca’s “Von der Artzney bayder Glück, des gůten und widerwertigen” (1532, p. LXXIII) and Petrarca’s “Das Glückbuch, Beydes dess Guten und Bösen” (1539, p. LVI [verso]). Be mindful there are other editions from 1532 leading up to 1572 that I have not examined.

Woodcut on laid paper trimmed with a small margin around the image borderline, with letterpress text verso concealed under a backing support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 11 x 16.1 cm; (image borderline) 9.7 x 15.6 cm.

Letterpress printed text above the image borderline in German: “Trostspiegels erste Buch/” (Trostspiegel's first book/).

Musper 39 ([Heinrich] Theodor Musper 1927, “Die Holzschnitte des Petrarkameisters : ein kritisches Verzeichnis mit einleitung”, Munich, p, 119, cat. no. 39); Walther Scheidig 1955, “Die Holzschnitte des Petrarca-Meisters zu Petrarcas Werk von der Arzney bayder Glück des guten und widerwärtigen: Augsburg 1532”, Berlin, p. 108.

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.726091.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression from the slightly damaged plate in 1572, trimmed with a small margin around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins.

I am selling this wonderful woodcut showing the ploughing and harvesting practices of the 16^th century—interesting for me, I can see that the ploughmen do not use the customary ox-turn/ boustrophedon movement at the end of each furrow and that there is an overseer on horseback in the distance suggesting a system of serfdom (but, of course, I may be wrong)—for AU$238 (currently US$159.08/EUR143.93/GBP126.70 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 this finely detailed woodcut from the German Renaissance, 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