Marcus Gheeraerts I, “The Wood-Splitter and the Forest”, 1567

Marcus Gheeraerts I (aka Marc Garrard; Marcus Geraerts; Marc Gerards; Marcus Gheraerts) (1516/21–c1590)

“The Wood-Splitter and the Forest” (aka “De Houtklover en 't Bosch”; “D’un Bûcheron et d’une forêt”; “Fabel van de houthakker en het bos”), c1567/79, from either the series of 107 etchings and an engraved frontispiece, published in Bruges by Pieter de Clerck (fl.1554–1577) as an illustration to Eduwaert de Dene's (1555–1639) edition of Aesop's Fables, “De Warachtighe Fabulen der Dieren” (The Truthful Fables of the Animals) (1567) or from the third edition in “Mythologia Ethica” (see https://archive.org/details/mythologiaethica00frei/page/114/mode/2up) with 122 plates, published by Christophe Plantin (aka Christoffel Plantijn) (1520–1589) and printed by Philips Galle (Philippus Gallaeus; Philippe Galle) (1537–1612) in 1579 with letterpress text verso. I lean towards this impression being from the 1579 edition, as I have been unable to locate the plate in the online resources available among the plates of the 1567 edition (https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/dene001wara01_01/colofon.php).

Note that Aegidius Sadeler II (aka Egidius Sadeler; Ægedius Sadeler; Gillis Sadeler) (c.1570–1629) executed an etching (with engraving) in 1608 in the reverse direction after Marcus Gheeraert’s etching; see: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.168097.

Regarding Sadeler’s print, the Rijksmuseum offers the following description: “A woodcutter chops down a tree with an axe. In the fable of the woodcutter and the forest, the trees of the forest allow the woodcutter to cut an axe from their wood. Then the woodcutter chops down the trees with the axe” (op. cit.).

From my understanding of the fable (and I may be wrong), a farmer finds an axe head without its handle in a forest. He prays to the forest that he may craft a handle from the forest's wood and forest gives him permission. After fitting the newly made handle to the axe, the farmer proceeds to cut down the trees of the forest until there were none left (see https://www.litres.ru/book/joost-van-de-vondel/de-complete-werken-van-joost-van-vondel-2-34283144/chitat-onlayn/?page=4). 

Etching on fine laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the platemark/image borderline and backed on a support sheet.

Size: (sheet trimmed slightly unevenly) 9.8 x 11.3 cm.

Condition: a superb early impression, trimmed close to the image borderline and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper. The sheet is in an excellent condition for its considerable age with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this very beautiful etching executed by an early pioneer of etching at a time when book-illustrations were primarily woodcuts or engravings, for AU$329 (currently US$219.92/EUR199.12/GBP169.66 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$329) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this small but magnificent etching executed 3 years after Michelangelo hung up his boots for the last time, 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

Marcus Gheeraerts I’s etching, “t'Peert ende hert”, c1567

Marcus Gheeraerts I (aka Marc Garrard; Marcus Geraerts; Marc Gerards; Marcus Gheraerts) (1516/21–c1590)

“t'Peert ende hert”, c1567, from a series of 108 etchings published in Bruges by Pieter de Clerck (fl.1567) as an illustration to page 140 in Eduwaert de Dene's (1555–1639) edition of Aesop's Fables, "De Warachtighe Fabulen der Dieren" (The Truthful Fables of the Animals) (1567) with letterpress text verso.

The Curator of the British Museum offers the following information regarding later editions of Gheeraerts illustrations for Aesop's Fables:

“The second edition counts 107 plates without a date. A third edition of 122 plates was published by Christoffel Plantijn in 1579 titled ‘Mythologia ethica’. The fourth edition was published by de Vries in Amsterdam in 1617 as an illustration to Vondel's ‘Vorstelijke varande dieren’. (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0612-113)

Etching on fine laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline, backed on a support sheet.

Size: (sheet trimmed unevenly) 9.8 x 11.6 cm; (outer image borderline) 9.5 x 11.5 cm.

Hollstein 1–108

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“'The horse and the rat'; a hunter on a horse aims his spear at a deer; the deer is running into the woods; Dutch letterpress on verso; illustration to Eduwaert de Dene's edition of Aesop's Fables, "De Warachtighe Fabulen der Dieren" (Pieter de Clerck, Bruges: 1567). c.1567 Etching”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0612-182).

See also https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/dene001wara01_01/dene001wara01_01_0072.php.

Condition: a superb early impression, trimmed close to the image borderline and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper. There is a hole below the front leg of the horse, otherwise, the sheet is in a good condition for its considerable age with no significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this very beautiful etching executed by an early pioneer of etching at a time when book-illustrations were primarily woodcuts or engravings, for AU$329 (currently US$244.34/EUR201.48/GBP181.83 at the time of this listing) 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 small but magnificent etching executed 3 years after Michelangelo hung up his boots for the last time, 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

Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder’s etching, “Paeu ende acxtere”, c1567

Marcus Gheeraerts I (aka Marc Garrard; Marcus Geraerts; Marc Gerards; Marcus Gheraerts) (c1520–c1590)

“Paeu ende acxtere” (aka “Le Paon et le Choucas”; “The Peacock and the Jackdaw/Magpie”), c1567, from the series of 108 illustrations to Eduwaert de Dene's (1555–1639) edition of Aesop's Fables, "De Warachtighe Fabulen der Dieren", page 96, published in Bruges in 1567 by Pieter de Clerck (fl.1567).

Etching on fine laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline with Dutch letterpress on verso, backed on a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 10 x 11.6 cm; (outer image borderline) 9.7 x 11.3 cm.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“'The peacock and the magpie'; a magpie standing in the centre, surrounded by other types of birds and a peacock behind him”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0612-160).

Condition: superb early impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate, trimmed close to the image borderline and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper. Beyond a few minor pale spots of discolouration, the sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, losses or significant abrasions and stains).

I am selling this very beautiful etching executed by an early pioneer of etching at a time when book-illustrations were primarily woodcuts or engravings, for AU$329 (currently US$229.78/EUR201.01/GBP183.44 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 small but magnificent etching executed 3 years after Michelangelo hung up his boots for the last time, 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