Aegidius Sadeler’s engraving, “Cottage on piles above a canal”

Aegidius Sadeler II (aka Gillis Sadeler; Egidius Sadeler; Ægedius Sadeler) (c.1570–1629)

“Cottage on piles above a canal” (Cottage auf einem Hügel über einem Kanal), c.1610–13, from the series. “SIx Landscapes”, after a lost drawing by Roelant Savery (aka Roelandt Savry; Roelant van Saverij) (1576–1639). Isabelle de Ramaix in “The Illustrated Bartsch” vol. 72, Part 2 (Supplement), p. 36, advises that part of the series, “Six Landscapes”, may have been engraved by Isaac Major; see also Dorothy A Limouze 1990, “Aegidius Sadeler (c.1570–1629) Drawings, Prints and Art Theory”, Ph.D diss,, Princeton University, p. 196. Interestingly, Limouze notes the influence of Gillis van Coninxloo on Roelant Savery’s drawings (p. 194).

Etching and engraving on laid paper trimmed on, or within, the platemark, and lined on a conservator’s support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 22.2 x 28.5 cm

State I or III (of V) Lifetime impression. (Note: both of these states have the text shown on the lower left. In state II, the name of the publisher is shown on the lower right: “Marco Sadeler excudit,” In state IV, the text on the left is erased and substituted with “Sadeler scul.” In state V, the publisher is lettered: “Daumont ex.”)

Bartsch 7201.240 S1 (see vol. 72, Part 2, p. 39); Nagler 1835–52, no. 228; Le Blanc, nos. 204–09; Wurzbach, no. 106; Hollstein 1980, vol. 21, no. 232.

Condition: exceptionally rare (this print is not even in the British Museum collection) richly inked and crisp impression, trimmed on, or within, the platemark and lined on a conservator’s support sheet. The support sheet must have been necessary as I can see a tear at the upper centre that is no longer an issue. Beyond this addressed issue the sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no holes, abrasions, stains, folds or foxing).

I am selling this superbly rich lifetime impression by Sadeler for a total cost of AU$389 (currently US$285.29/EUR269.77/GBP231.18 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this remarkable visual document of life on the canals in the Netherlands during the early 17^th century, 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

There is true art to sustaining a viewer’s interest and this scene of 17^th century rural life exemplifies one way to hold a viewer’s attention. To explain what I mean by the approach employed, I wish to compare the compositional arrangement of this image to the way in which sentences are often constructed, in terms of using commas to frame key points. For example, if one starts reading the composition from the left to the right side, the two trees in the foreground isolate and pictorially frame the first glimpse of landscape populated with rural folk attending to their labours. In my reading of this first segment, I see that the angle of the slender punting pole held by the closer figure guides my eye to the task that another figure is undertaking in the distance: carrying a piece of lumber towards a partly obscured figure in the next segment framed again by trees. 

What I find fascinating to ponder is the skill with which the artists— Roelant Savery (designer) and Aegidius Sadeler (engraver)—have manipulated my reading of this image. Not only have they broken it into visually digestible portions from the left to the right sides, but they have also created a network of barriers and partial barriers to engage my interest by compelling me to navigate my way into the distance. For me, this is a wonderful image and it illustrates very well how visual semantics—framing ideas to communicate meaning—play a role in good composition.

Aegidius Sadeler’s etching (with engraving) after a lost drawing by Roelant Savery

Aegidius Sadeler II (also Egidius or Gilles) (1568–1629)

“Waterfall with Shepherd and Four Goats”, c.1610–13, from a series of six landscapes after drawings by Roelant Savery (1576–1639) (note that the Savery’s drawing for this print is now lost).

Etching and engraving on fine laid paper trimmed to the image borderline.

Size: (sheet) 21.1 x 28.3 cm

I am unable to determine the state of this impression (there are six states in total) as the publication details have been trimmed off. Nevertheless, the impression is richly inked and crisp showing very little, if any, wear suggesting that this is an early impression and no doubt a lifetime impression.

Bartsch 72 (1998: Part 2, Supplement) 7201.39; Nagler 1835–52, no. 228; Le Blanc, no. 204–09 ; Wurzbach, no. 106; Hollstein 1980, vol. 21, no. 231

 (see description of this print that is also trimmed to the borderline in Museum of San Francisco: http://art.famsf.org/aegidius-sadeler-ii/waterfall-shepherd-and-four-goats-set-six-landscapes-19633014031)

Condition: Crisp and strong impression of this extremely rare print in superb condition (i.e. there are no stains, holes, folds or foxing). The print is trimmed to the image borderline and on the back there are remnants of mounting hinges and a strip of reinforcing (?) paper at the top centre.

I am selling this print of the utmost rarity by Aegidius Sadeler (so rare in fact that even the British Museum does not possess a copy) for AU$534 in total (currently US$403.31/EUR360.93/GBP308.49 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this remarkably fresh early impression of an extremely rare print that is seldom (if ever) seen on the market, 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 is a print of exceptional rarity. It is part of a series of six landscapes of similar size that Aegidius Sadeler II executed after drawings by Roelant Savery.

From my standpoint, what makes this image particularly interesting is that it is a fine example of the notion that was current in the 16^th century—and is possibly still current—of animism (i.e. the attribution of a living soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena). For instance, artists often featured caves, chasms, natural rock arches and similar formations were the earth exposes a secondary world below the surface terrain. Going further, artists like Savery and Sadeler, leaned towards the insignificance of man compared to God’s handiwork in creating the landscape by ensuring that staffage figures were small in comparison to the surrounding landscape. As is also the case with landscape images at this time, the notion of vanitas (i.e. all things must pass/die) pervades the scene. Note, for example, that this scene is littered with broken old trees with fresh growth surrounding them—a visual code of symbolism that most folk at the time would have understood to mean that life is a continuum and nothing is permanent.