Antonio Tempesta, “Roma and Batavia Shaking Hands”, 1611, after Otto van Veen

Antonio Tempesta (circa 1555–1630)
“Roma and Batavia Shaking Hands”, 1611

Technical Details & Condition:

This etching on fine laid paper retains the margins as originally published, with Latin letterpress text verso. It is plate 1, the frontispiece to a series of 36 plates (excluding the title page [TIB 35.560–595]) illustrating “The War of the Romans Against the Batavians” (Romanorvm et Batavorvm societas). The work is after a design by the Flemish painter and Rubens's teacher, Otto van Veen (also known as Octavio van Veen, Otho Vaenius, and Otho Venius) (1556–1629). The scene symbolically depicts the alliance between ancient Rome and the Germanic tribes (Batavians). The two figures shaking hands represent personifications of Roma (Rome) and Batavia (the Netherlands/Germanic tribes), positioned between the rivers of their respective worlds, personified as river gods: Tiberis (Tiber), Rhenus (Rhine), and Mosa (Meuse). The composition is further enriched by legendary figures Romulus and Remus, suckled by a she-wolf, reinforcing the allegorical theme of peace and unity between these peoples.

The impression is strong and well-printed, showing no signs of wear to the printing plate. The sheet, aside from areas of slight thinness and minor chips in the margins, is in excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 20.8 x 24 cm
• Plate mark: 16.8 x 21.2 cm
• Image border: 14.7 x 20.7 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Within the roundel border: “(I) AVORVM SOCIETAS. ROMANORVM ET BAT:”
• Within the image: “ROMA”; “BATAVIA”; “TIBERIS”; “RHENVS”; “MOSA”
• Below the roundel at centre: “Ant. Tempest f. anno 1611”

References:

• TIB 35.560 (Sebastian Buffa [ed.], The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta, 1984, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 289, cat. no. 35.560)
• TIB 3501.497 (Eckhard Leuschner, The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta, 2007, vol. 35, Part 2 [Commentary], New York, Abaris Books, p. 107, cat. no. [3501] .497)
• Also see the detailed descriptions and images of this print available from the Rijksmuseum (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200478682) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/401390).

Price & Shipping:

AU$302 (approximately US$203.18 / €172.56 / £150.49), inclusive of worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this significant first plate of the series “The War of the Romans Against the Batavians,” please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold 

Antonio Tempesta, “Romans Defeated Near the Rhine”, 1612

Antonio Tempesta (1555? – 1630)
“Romans Defeated Near the Rhine”, 1612

Technical Details & Condition:
Etching on fine laid paper with small margins as published, featuring Latin letterpress text verso. The impression is generally strong, with a paler area beneath the shield of the foreground figure on the right. The sheet is in very good condition, free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or significant stains.

The print is plate 6 from the series, “The Batavian Revolt” (also known as “The War of the Romans Against the Batavians” and “Batavorum cum Romanis Bellum, à Corn. Tacitus”). The composition is possibly based on a comparable battle scene by Otto van Veen (also known as Venius) (1556–1629)—the teacher of Rubens—in the Rijksmuseum (A 424).

This is a lifetime impression from the first state with the Latin text verso. In the second state, the etching is heavily retouched, without text on the verso, and includes a French lettered title and number (see TIB 3501.502. p. 116).

Dimensions:
• Sheet: 20.7 x 23.1 cm
• Plate mark: 16.7 x 20.9 cm
• Image borderline: 14.7 x 20.7 cm

Plate Lettering:
• Below the image borderline at left:
“De Romeynen vergaderen opwaerts by den Ryn, den welcken Ciuilis/ te velde comt, ende wint den slagh, door dien eenighe Tonghersche vendelen tot/ hem ouer vallen, cryght oock 24. Schepen in den Ryn, die het Hollandtsch/ bootsvolck, worpende de Romeynsche soldaten ouer boort, aen syn syde brenghen.”
(The Romans gather upstream at the Rhine, when Civilis enters the field and wins the battle, because some Tongeren banners fall upon him. He also sends 24 ships into the Rhine, which the Dutch boatmen bring to his side, throwing the Roman soldiers overboard.)

• Below the image borderline at centre: (plate number in circle) “6”
• Below the image borderline at right: (translation of the Dutch text on the left in Latin):
“Haud procul, à Rheno Romanos in vnum collectos Ciuilis … et in aquam deturbando, ad Ciuilem pertrahunt.”

References:
• TIB 35.565 (Sebastian Buffa [ed.] 1984, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta”, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 294, cat. no. 565)
• TIB 3501.502 SI II (Eckhard Leuschner 2007, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta”, vol. 35. Part 2 [Commentary], New York, Abaris Books, p. 116, cat. no. [3501] .502 S1 II)

• See also the descriptions of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200478689) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/401435).

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Price & Shipping:
AU$302 (approximately US$200.17 / €171.55 / £149.91), including worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this spectacular early etching depicting a battle scene described by Tacitus (“Histories, IV, 16”) — a battle circa 70 CE when the Roman warship commanders were killed by their Batavian rowers, with the ships brought to their Batavian chieftain, Gaius Julius Civilis — please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold 

François Jollain, “Title Page of “Animalia ad Vivum Delineata’”, 1688, after Antonio Tempesta

François Jollain I (also known as François Iollain) (1641–1704) and/or in collaboration with François Gérard Jollain (circa 1660–1723)

Note: Some sources cite Gérard Jollain I (also known as Gérard Iollain) (fl. 1630s–1683) as the engraver of this plate. However, the dates associated with this artist do not align with the inscription “1688” on the plate.

Title Page of “Animalia ad Vivum Delineata” (Animals Drawn from Life), 1688, after Antonio Tempesta (c. 1555–1630). Published in Paris by Jollain—possibly François Gérard Jollain, as the publisher’s address corresponds with this artist-publisher—in 1688.

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraved on fine laid paper with partial watermark, trimmed with a narrow margin around the platemark. The impression is strong and well-printed. The sheet is in near-pristine condition, free from tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, or signs of handling.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 12.7 x 16.5 cm
• Plate mark: 12.4 x 16.2 cm
• Image border: 12.2 x 15.9 cm

Plate Lettering:

On the title banderole:
“ANIMALIA/ ad vivum Delineata et Œr i/ Impressa, Studio et Arte/ Antonii Tempeste/ Livre D'animaux/ Designez et Grauez d’après/ Nature par Ant. Tempeste/ ce vendent A Paris chez Lollain/ Rue St. Jacques à la nfan lessu.”
(Note: the address may refer to the printery at St. Jacques à l’Enfant Jésus, Paris.)
Date inscribed: “1688”.
Please note that there may be minor reading errors in the transcription.

Price & Shipping:

AU$276 (approximately US$178.25 / €154.74 / £136.13), including worldwide express shipping.

Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this seldom-seen title page engraving, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Antonio Tempesta’s etching, “Alexander Attacking Tyre from the Sea”, 1608

Antonio Tempesta (1555? –1630)

“Alexander Attacking Tyre from the Sea” (aka “Alexander de Grote valt Tyrus aan vanuit zee”), 1608, plate 7 (VII) from the series of twelve plates including the title plate (TIB 545–555), “Alexandri Magni Praecipuae res Gestae” (aka “The Principal Deeds of Alexander the Great”; “The Life of Alexander the Great”), initially published in Antwerp by Johannes Baptista Vrints (fl.c1575–1610). This impression was published Amsterdam before 1652 by Claes Jansz. Visscher II (aka Piscator; Nicolaes Jansz Visscher) (1587–1652).

Etching on a full sheet of laid paper with deckle edges on all sides as published including the two binding holes at left.

Size: (sheet) 33 x 42.5 cm; (plate) 22.2 x 29 cm.

State ii (of ii) with the addition of the Arabic number “7”.

Lettered and numbered below the image borderline: “Legatis infesta Tyros Neptunia, mole/ Press Gygantæa nauali clade subacta// VII// Menstrua post septem redeuntis cornua lunæ/ Pellæo iuueni meritas luit improba pœnas.// 7”

TIB (Buffa 1984) 35.551 (143) (Sebastian Buffa [ed.] 1984, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta”, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 279, cat. no. 551 [143]) TIB 3501.489 S2 (Eckhard Leuschner 2007, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta", vol. 35. Part 2 [Commentary], New York, Abaris Books, p. 91, cat. no. [3501] .489 S2);  Bartsch XVII.143.551.

See also the descriptions of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum and Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.183467; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/401385

Eckhard Leuschner (2007) in his commentary on this print (TIB vol, 35, Part 2 [Commentary]) offers the following insight regarding the context of this illustration:

“The most important source for Alexander’s siege of the Syrian city of Tyre is Quintus Curtius Rufus, “History of Alexander”, 4, 2–4. Tempesta’s print was used for the decoration of a majolica dish from Castelli in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg (produced between 1670 and 1700 …)” (p. 91).

Condition: a well-printed impression showing very few signs of wear to the printing plate. The etching is on a full sheet of laid paper with a deckle edge of all sides (including binding holes at left) in a near pristine condition for its considerable age with only a small ink mark verso.

I am selling this rare impression in near pristine condition printed as published on a full sheet of early laid paper with two binding holes at left, for the total cost of AU$297 (currently US$201.79/EUR200.04/GBP170.06 at the time of posting this print) 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 theatrically dramatic battle scene exemplifying the Baroque period style, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.