Virgil Solis, “The Death of Ahab”, 1560

Virgil Solis (1514–1562)

“The Death of Ahab” (TIB title), 1560 (and 1562 with the strapwork border as shown here), illustration to the Biblical passage regarding Micaiah prophesies against Ahab (I Kings 22: verse 34), from the series of 220 woodcuts in woodcut borders by Vigil Solis, published in 1562 by Sigmund Feierabend (1528–1590) in Frankfurt and printed by Johann Rasch (fl.1556–1562) and David Zöpfel (aka David Zephelius) (fl.c.1555–1563) as illustrations to “Biblische Figuren des Alten Testaments / Biblische Figuren des Neuwen Testaments”.

Woodcut printed from two plates with letterpress text verso, trimmed around the strapwork borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 12.1 x 15.9 cm.

TIB 19.1.64 (Jane S Peters [ed.] 1987, “The Illustrated Bartsch: German Masters of the Sixteenth Century”, vol. 19 [Part 1], p. 315 cat. no. 1.64).

Archive.org offers an online view of these prints in their context in the publication: https://archive.org/details/VirgilSolisBible1562/page/n73/mode/2up. Note that the title page to the edition showcased by Archive.org features the publication date, “MDLXII” (1562).

Regarding the publication in which this print features, the Curator of the British Museum advises: “The first edition was published in 1560. [This print with its strapwork frame features in] the second, enlarged edition, with 74 new images and woodcut borders from the 1561 Bible. The New Testament part is wrongly dated 1552 on the title-page” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1870-0625-191-411).

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression showing very few signs of wear to the printing plate, trimmed around the strapwork borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. Beyond the letterpress text verso softly shining through, the sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds or stains.

I am selling this superb lifetime impression (based on the quality of the lines showing no sign of wear to the printing plate) of a visually arresting woodcut showing the king of Israel being hit by an arrow between “sections of his armour”, for AU$239 (approximately US$155.23, EUR 136.21 or GBP 114.74), including express mail shipping worldwide. Import duties, if any, are the responsibility of the buyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this finely executed woodcut pictorially framed with a strapwork woodcut border, 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