Hans Rudolf Manuel (Deutsch), “William Tell Shooting the Apple”, 1552

Hans Rudolf Manuel (Deutsch) (also known as Hans Rudolf Manuel, with monograms “HRMD,” “RMD,” and “RM”) (1525–1571)
“William Tell Shooting the Apple,” 1552

Technical Details & Condition:

Woodcut on fine laid paper with letterpress text recto and verso of a leaf (pages 361 and 362) from the Latin edition of the renowned “Cosmographia” by Sebastian Münster (1488–1552), published and printed in Basel by Heinrich Petri (fl. circa 1527–1577) in 1552. Münster’s “Cosmographia” was one of the most successful and influential books of the 16th century, offering the first detailed descriptions of the world, complete with maps and cultural explorations (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmographia_(Sebastian_M%C3%BCnster)).

The impression is strong, showing no sign of wear to the printing plate, suggesting that this is an early impression. Aside from minor age toning to the edges and a worm-hole in the lower left margin, the sheet is in excellent condition with no tears, folds, abrasions, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 29 x 18.4 cm
• Image borderline: 13 x 14.2 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Artist’s ligature monogram on stone at lower left: “HRMD”

References:

• TIB 19.25 (Jane S Peters  [ed.], The Illustrated Bartsch: German Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Hans Rudolf Manuel [Deutsch], Tobias Stimmer, 1988, vol. 19 [Part 2], New York, Abaris Books, p. 40, cat. no. 25 [329])
• Bartsch IX.329.25
• New Hollstein (German) 151
• The British Museum describes this print: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1850-1014-965

Price & Shipping:

AU$288 (approximately US$192.44 / €164.6 / £143.26), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you wish to acquire this spectacular woodcut depicting the legendary Swiss patriot, William Tell, aiming to shoot an apple placed on his son's head—a perilous act demanded by the Austrian bailiff, Gessler, for refusing to remove his hat before Gessler—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will be happy to send a PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold

Circle of David Kandel, “The Queen's Heart was Angry”, c1550

Unidentified printmaker from the circle of David Kandel (1520/25–1592/96)—see Kandel’s woodcut of an elephant pulling a plough from the same publication held by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1850-1014-979.  

“The Queen's Heart was Angry” (aka “Reginæ uirilis animus” [margin text]), c1550 (1544–1552), woodcut with Latin letterpress text verso printed by Heinrich Petri (fl.c1527–1577) as an illustration to a Latin edition (first published in 1550) of Sebastian Münster’s (1488–1552), “Cosmographia” (Cosmographiæ uniuersalis lib. VI. in quibus iuxta certioris fidei scriptorum traditionem describuntur, omnium habitabilis orbis partium situs, propriæq[ue] dotes. regionum topographicæ effigies ...), first published in 1550 in Basel. Archive.org offers an online view of this print in its context on page 765 in a Latin edition published in 1554; see https://archive.org/details/cosmographiuniue00mnst/page/764/mode/2up.

From my reading of the surrounding text (e.g., “… Margareta regnandi auida, potenter Albertum ex Suecia exclusit.” [[transl.) “Margaret, eager to reign, powerfully excluded Albert from Sweden.”]) I suspect that the illustration may relate to the Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Margaret I (1353—1412) whom, I understand, was derisively described by her rival, King Albert of Sweden, as a ruler with no knickers: “King Breechless.” Beyond King Albert’s derision, Margaret I is considered to be the “first great ruling queen in European history” (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_I_of_Denmark).

Woodcut on laid paper with Latin letterpress text verso trimmed around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 8.2 x 11.8 cm; (image borderline) 8 x 11.6 cm.

The British Museum offers a description of this print: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1982-U-2230.

Condition: a strong and well-printed early impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate. Beyond replenished chipped upper corners, the sheet is in an excellent condition with no significant stains.

I am selling this Renaissance period woodcut showing what I believe may be one of the earliest depictions of the Queen of the North (viz. Margaret I, Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway and Sweden), for the total cost of AU$253 (currently US$166.34/EUR152.37/GBP130.36 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$253) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this fascinating woodcut showing the strong spirit of an almost legendary Queen decried (from my understanding) by King Albert of Sweden for wearing no knickers, contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

David Kandel's woodcut print, “Rhinoceros”, c1550, after Albrecht Dürer

David Kandel (1520/25–1592/96)

“Rhinoceros”, c1550, after Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) (Meder 273), printed by Heinrich Petri (fl.c.1527–1577), published as the illustration to page 1086, in the first/Latin edition (1550–52) before the German editions of Sebastian Münster’s (1488–1552), “Cosmographia”, in Basle.

Note that the Latin edition is differentiated from the German edition by the woodcut of “an elephant carrying various figures on a large saddle to right, by an anonymous printmaker” (see BM no. 1850,1014.988). I have previously posted another impression of Kandel’s “Rhinoceros” (now sold) from the German edition which features a landscape with a walled city (verso)—my apologies for not investigating which city is portrayed (see https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2018/10/david-kandels-woodcut-rhinoceros-1550.html).

Woodcut with old colouring and letterpress text printed recto and verso and a second woodcut printed verso on fine laid paper backed with support sheet (with a window cut to show the verso woodcut).

Size: (sheet) 13.8 x 19 cm; (woodcut verso partial obscured by support sheet) 6.5 x 10 cm.

Signed with Kandel's monogram of entwined letters (*DK") at lower centre.

Lifetime impression taken from the first Latin edition of "Cosmographia" (1550/2).

Hollstein 10p; Nagler 1858-79 II.1173.5; Bartsch IX.394.17; Meder 273; Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 241

The British Museum offers a description of this print from the same Latin edition:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1536623&partId=1&searchText=david+Kandel&page=1

Condition: well-printed lifetime impression with old colouring in excellent condition for its considerable age (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or foxing). The sheet is laid onto a support of conservator’s fine archival/millennium quality washi paper cut with a rectangular “window” to enable the woodcut printed verso to be seen. Note that the printing block for this woodcut features a split from the horn to the tail of the rhinoceros and this is an intrinsic part of the print.

I am selling this extremely rare woodcut for AU$350 (currently US$246.84/EUR221.10/GBP190.71 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 superb woodcut with antique colouring after Dürer’s famous “Rhinoceros”, 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

This woodcut by Kandel (1550) after Dürer’s famous “Rhinoceros” (1514) was a plate in a series of 22 illustrations for the enlarged edition of “Cosmographia”—the first publication offering descriptions of the world and, interestingly, the first to feature a map of the Americas—initially published in Basle in 1550 (from which this impression is extracted) and republished another 15 times with German text with the last printing in 1628. The Curator of the British Museum advises that this enlarged edition “contained around 900 illustrations and 40 maps” (see BM no. 1850,1014.972).

For those who may not be familiar with Dürer’s depiction of a rhinoceros—an Indian rhinoceros I understand—the design of the woodcut is based on a sketch made by an unidentified artist when the portrayed rhino was in Lisbon. Essentially, Dürer never had the chance to see this particular animal as the rhino drowned when the ship that was transporting it from Lisbon to Rome became shipwrecked. What Kandel/Dürer have depicted in their illustration of a rhino is consequently a concoction of rhino details and understandably, some are not quite right, such as an “extra” horn on the neck of the animal and the marvellous patterning of spots on its hide.

David Kandel’s woodcut, “Rhinoceros”, 1550, after Albrecht Dürer

David Kandel (1520/25–1592/96)

“Rhinoceros”, 1550, after Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) (Meder 273), printed by Heinrich Petri (fl.c.1527–1577), published in a German edition of Sebastian Münster’s (1488–1552), “Cosmographia”, published in German from 1550 to 1628.

Woodcut with letterpress text printed recto and verso on fine laid paper (as published).

Size: (sheet) 30.7 x 19.9 cm; (Rhinoceros recto) 10 x 14.6 cm; (woodcut verso) 2.8 x 5.7 cm

With the monogram of David Kandel (entwined letters): “DK”

Hollstein 10p; Nagler 1858-79 II.1173.5; Bartsch IX.394.17

See also the description of this print held by the British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1536623&partId=1&searchText=david+Kandel&page=1

Note that the British Museum’s leaf featuring Kandel’s rhinoceros (see BM no. 1850,1014.988) is from the Latin edition of “Cosmographia” and features on the verso side a woodcut of “an elephant carrying various figures on a large saddle to right, by an anonymous printmaker”.

Condition: well-printed impression with full margins as published in near pristine condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or foxing).

I am selling this extremely rare woodcut for AU$350 (currently US$248.63/EUR216.46/GBP191.49 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 superb woodcut in museum quality condition after Dürer’s famous “Rhinoceros”, 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

This woodcut by Kandel after Dürer’s famous “Rhinoceros” (1514) was a plate in a series of 22 illustrations for the enlarged edition of “Cosmographia”—the first publication offering descriptions of the world and, interestingly, the first to feature a map of the Americas—initially published in Basle in 1550 and republished another 15 times with German text with the last printing in 1628. The Curator of the British Museum advises that this enlarged edition “contained around 900 illustrations and 40 maps” (see BM no. 1850,1014.972).

For those who may not be familiar with Dürer’s depiction of a rhinoceros—an Indian rhinoceros I understand—the design of the woodcut is based on a sketch made by an unidentified artist when the portrayed rhino was in Lisbon. Essentially, Dürer never had the chance to see this particular animal as the rhino drowned when the ship that was transporting it from Lisbon to Rome became shipwrecked. What Kandel/Dürer have depicted in their illustration of a rhino is consequently a concoction of rhino details and understandably, some are not quite right, such as an “extra” horn on the neck of the animal and the marvellous patterning of spots on its hide.

David Kandel’s “View of Lüneburg” (Latin edition), 1500

David Kandel (1520/25–1592/96)

“View of Lüneburg”, c.1550, from a set of twenty-two designs by David Kandel and cut by Monogrammist CS (fl.c.1540–1560) and printed by Heinrich Petri (1527–77; fl. c.).. This impression is from the Latin edition of Sebastian Münster’s (1488–1552) “Cosmographia”, showing a panoramic view of Lüneburg, published in 1568/1592. 

Woodcut and letterpress on full double-sided sheet as published.

Size: (sheet) 31.5 x 40.2 cm

Signed with Kandel's monogram (lower left) and with monogram “CS” (lower righ)t.

Lettered throughout with location names and letters corresponding to the legend above.

Letterpress title above the woodcut: “De Germania Liber III. / Civitas Lunaeburgensis, quam verius hoc tempore Salinaeburgensem appellare posses.” Pages numbered 730 and 731.

Below a letterpress genealogy of the dukes of Lüneburg.

The British Museum offer the following description of this print:

“View of Lüneburg; with putti among clouds in sky holding the coats-of-arms and a tablet bearing the name of the town; on verso three woodcuts by an anonymous master; one with the arms of Lüneburg; another with a male figure in antique armour standing on a column and holding a banner with a crescent moon; and a third showing salt production; illustrations to the Latin edition of Sebastian Münster, 'Cosmographia', Basle: Heinrich Petri, 1552.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1536570&partId=1&searchText=Sebastian+Munster+luneburg&page=1)

Hollstein 10j; Nagler 1858-79 II.1173.11; Bartsch IX.393.3

Condition: very well printed with very little wear to the printing block suggesting that this is an early printing. The sheet is in an extremely rare near pristine condition with virtually no faults beyond the usual indelicate joining of the two pages (verso).

I am selling this rare woodcut print in superb condition from the 16th century for the total cost of AU$272 (currently US$182.17/EUR166.04/GBP142.68 at the time of posting 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 historically significant early woodcut sheet, 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

The curator of the British Museum offers the following account of Sebastian Munster's “Cosmographia”:

“From a set of twenty-two designs supplied by Kandel for the enlarged edition of the 'Cosmographia', which appeared in Basle in 1550 and contained around 900 illustrations and 40 maps. Münster's 'Cosmographia' had first been published in 1544.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1535335&partId=1&searchText=1850,1014.972&page=1)