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

Aegidius Sadeler I/Johan Sadeler I’s engraving, “The Three Jews in Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace”, c1575, after Maarten de Vos

Aegidius Sadeler I (c1550–1609) and/or Johan Sadeler I (1550–1600)

“The Three Jews in Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace” (TIB title), c1575, from the series of nine engravings (TIB 7003.060–.068), “Scenes From the Old Testament” after a lost drawing by Maarten de Vos (1532–1603), possibly published by Aegidius Sadeler I—the elder brother of Johan I and Raphael I—as Isabelle de Ramaix (2003) in “The Illustrated Bartsch”, vol. 70, Part 4 (Supplement), advises that Aegidius I “signed his plates ‘Sadeler excud.’” (p. vii), as is inscribed in this plate. Regarding the engraver who executed this plate, Aedgius Sadeler I may be both the publisher and the engraver responsible for its execution. Nevertheless, Johan Sadeler I is known to have made engravings for the publisher, Platin, from 1572 to c1579, after drawings by Maarten de Vos as explained by Isabelle de Ramaix (2003) (Ibid.).

Engraving on laid paper, trimmed close to the image borderline (along the borderline on the sides) and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 25 x 20.2 cm; (image borderline) 23.2 x 20.2 cm.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: “Tres Hebraeos … flamma Lictorib. DAN. III./ D. Bos inuentor: Sadler excudit.”

State i (of i) Lifetime impression (based on the quality of the line showing no sign of wear to the printing plate and still retaining the inscribed guide lines for the lettering.

TIB 7003.067 (Isabelle de Ramaix 2003, “The Illustrated Bartsch”, vol. 70, Part 4 [Supplement], New York, Abaris Books, p. 88, cat. no. [7003] .067; [illus.] p. 90), Hollstein 1980, vol. 21, no. 124 (Johan Sadeler I); Edquist, p. 108, no. 22; Hollstein 1995–96, vol. 44, no. 208.

Condition: a richly inked, strong and well-printed early impression, trimmed along the image borderline on the sides, with small margins top and bottom and laid upon a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The lower left corner is replenished, there is a rust coloured mark at upper right corner and light age-toning, otherwise, the sheet is in a good condition.

I am selling this spectacularly strong impression of a very rare and seldom seen engraving—note that neither the British Museum nor the Rijksmuseum hold a copy of this print—for AU$343 in total (currently US$250.66/EUR227.15/GBP190.38 at the time of posting 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 superb engraving illustrating how an angel protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (the “three Jews” in the title) who were cast into a furnace on orders from Nebuchadnezzar II—the builder of the “Hanging Gardens” of Babylon—because they refused to worship the statue shown at upper right, 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

Unidentified illustrator’s woodcut for Ambroise Paré’s, “Succarath”, c1575

Unidentified illustrator for Ambroise Paré (aka Ambrosio Paræo) (1510–1590)—author and father of modern surgery

“Succarath” (aka “Patagonian Ground Sloth”), c1575, published by Pierre Rigaud in the 1664 edtion of Ambroise Paré’s (1510–1590), “Les Oeuvres d'Ambroise Paré.”

Initially the composition of this woodcut was published in reverse in 1558–1578 in Antwerp for Christophle Plantin’s printing of the descriptive travels to Brazil by the Franciscan monk, André Thevet (1502–1590), “Les singularitez de la France Antarctique, autrement nommée Amerique”. In this publication, Thevet describes the extinct animal portrayed in the woodcut as having “lived by rivers, put its young on its back when threaten and had a terrible cry” (see https://jcb.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/JCB~1~1~6438~9870009:-Succarath-or-su-).  The recut print, in the same direction as this impression, was published later in Paris in 1575 by Gabriel Buon as an illustration to Ambroise Paré’s “Les Oeuvres d'Ambroise Paré” (see https://archive.org/details/BIUSante_01709/page/n87/mode/2up). The print was then republished for Paré’s “Les Oeuvres…” in Lyon in 1614, 1641 and 1652, by Pierre Rigaud and again in 1664 by Jean Gregoire, see the description of this print offered by the Historical Medical Society: https://www.cppdigitallibrary.org/items/show/3023?advanced%255B%255D%255Belement_id%255D=49&advanced%255B%255D%255Btype%255D=is+exactly&advanced%255B%255D%255Bterms%255D=Portraits&sort_field=random&sort_dir=a.

Woodcut with letterpress text (recto and verso) on laid paper (papier mouchetè) trimmed around the image and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 10.9 x 18.7 cm.

Letterpress text printed recto: (above the image) “Pourt[r]aict du Succarath”; (right) “C/ D”.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression but the sheet is in a poor condition with stains and restored tears, trimmed around the image and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this marvellously bizarre woodcut showing the now extinct Succarath (aka Patagonian Ground Sloth) releasing a dreadful cry while shielding its babies from harm with its tail, for AU$228 (currently US$176.38/EUR148.03/GBP126.74 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 curiously fascinating interpretation of a Patagonian Succarath, based on the description of it by a Franciscan monk (André Thevet), 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