Hans Weiditz II’s woodcut, “The Devil and the Rich Man”, 1531

Hans Weiditz II (aka The Petrarch Master) (1500–1536) (Designer)

“The Devil and the Rich Man” (aka “Vertwijfelde man en duivel bij kisten gevuld met munten” [Rijksmuseum title]; “Desperate man and devil near chests filled with coins”), 1531, woodcut printed and published in 1531 in Augsburg by Heinrich Steiner (fl. 1522–1548) as illustration to the verso of page 10 (X) of Johann Neuber and Johann von Schwarzenberg’s translation of Marcus Tullius Cicero’s (106–43 BC), “Officia M.T.C.: ein Bůch, so Marcus Tullius Cicero der Römer, zů seynem Sune Marco, von den tugentsamen Ämptern vnd Zůgehörungen, eynes wol vnd rechtlebenden Menschen” (Official M.T.C. [Marcus Tullius Cicero]: a book, according to Marcus Tullius Cicero the Romans, zů seynem [in addition to?] Sune Marco, of the virtuous offices and belongings, one who wants to live with the law; see https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012281362/page/n37/mode/2up).

The Royal Academy offers the following insights regarding the publication in which this print features: “Cicero's De Officiis is a treatise on duties, in three books in the form of a letter to the author's son, Marcus. It was written in 44 B.C. In the first book Cicero analyses the virtues of Wisdom, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance; in the second and third he discusses how they may harmonise with social and political expediency - taking examples from ancient Greek and Roman history” (https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/book/officia-m-t-c-ejn-bu-sup-e-sup-ch-so-marcus-tullius-cicero-der-ro-sup-e-sup).

Woodcut on laid paper trimmed with a small margin around the image borderline, with letterpress text verso concealed under a backing sheet.

Size: (sheet) 10.5 x 16.5 cm; (image borderline) 10.1 x 15.8 cm.

Scheidig 200 (Walther Scheidig 1955, “Die Holzschnitte des Petrarca-Meisters zu Petrarcas Werk von der Arzney bayder Glück des guten und widerwärtigen: Augsburg 1532”, Berlin, p. 42, cat.no.200).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.725890.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression showing minor signs of wear to the printing plate—note the gap in the printing of the rich man’s cloak—trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in a good condition with no tears, holes, folds, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this curiously wonderful woodcut showing in graphic terms that rich are chained by their desperate desires—here a rich man looking at chests of coins is chained at his legs to the devil (his desire) who points to the treasures and offers the rich man a neck ring extension to his chains—for AU$248 (currently US$165.76/EUR149.98/GBP132.03 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 finely detailed woodcut from the German Renaissance, 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 

Hans Weiditz II’s woodcut, “Cicero”, 1531

Hans Weiditz II (aka The Petrarch Master) (1500–1536)

“Cicero”, 1531, woodcut printed and published in 1531 in Augsburg by Heinrich Steiner (fl. 1522–1548) as an illustration to the first page of Johann Neuber and Johann von Schwarzenberg’s translation of Marcus Tullius Cicero’s (106–43 BC), “Officia M.T.C.: ein Bůch, so Marcus Tullius Cicero der Römer, zů seynem Sune Marco, von den tugentsamen Ämptern vnd Zůgehörungen, eynes wol vnd rechtlebenden Menschen” (Official M.T.C. [Marcus Tullius Cicero]: a book, according to Marcus Tullius Cicero the Romans, zů seynem [in addition to?] Sune Marco, of the virtuous offices and belongings, one who wants to live with the law; see https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012281362/page/n17/mode/2up.

The Royal Academy offers the following insights regarding this publication:

“Cicero's De Officiis is a treatise on duties, in three books in the form of a letter to the author's son, Marcus. It was written in 44 B.C. In the first book Cicero analyses the virtues of Wisdom, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance; in the second and third he discusses how they may harmonise with social and political expediency - taking examples from ancient Greek and Roman history” (https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/book/officia-m-t-c-ejn-bu-sup-e-sup-ch-so-marcus-tullius-cicero-der-ro-sup-e-sup).

According to Wikipedia, Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC), “was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher and [an academic sceptic]”, who wrote extensively including “treatises on rhetoric, philosophy and politics, and he is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero).

Woodcut (recto and verso) on laid paper trimmed from a larger sheet with letterpress text.

Size: (sheet) 15.6 x 15.9 cm.

Condition: a strong, early impression (recto and verso) showing no sign of wear to the printing plate. The sheet has a minor stain along the lower edge otherwise the sheet is in excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this superb woodcut from the German Renaissance—note what I assume may be implements for crafting quills on the table—for AU$298 (currently US$221.53/EUR191.65/GBP162.41 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 finely detailed woodcut exemplifying the 100 years of advances in the use of linear perspective since the principle was first documented in 1435, 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 

(woodcut verso)

Meister des Trostspiegels’ woodcut, “Conquest of a Castle,” c1532

Meister des Trostspiegels (aka Petrarch Master) (fl.c1520–1540)

Note: although the printmaker’s title, “Meister des Trostspiegels,” stems from the artist’s many (258) woodcut illustrations to Franceso Petrarca’s (1304–1374) “Trostspiegel” (1519/20), the true identity of the artist is possibly Hans Weiditz (c1500–1536). From a personal standpoint, however, earlier this evening I was convinced that the artist was Hans Burgkmair the Elder (1473–1531) and spent a great deal of time looking through the massive catalogue raisonné on Burgkmair (TIB vol. 11) to check. Sadly, I failed to find this print. Nevertheless, there are many woodcuts executed in a similar style by Burgkmair (see for instance, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1837-0616-270), moreover, I understand that Burgkmair was a contributing illustrator working with the Meister des Trostspiegels in the early German editions.

“Conquest of a Castle,” c1532, from Franceso Petrarca’s “Vpn Hülff vnd Rath in Allem anligen,“ 1532.

Regarding the edition from which this impression was taken, I understand that a later edition was published in Frankfurt am Main by the heirs of the famous publisher, Christian Egenolff's (aka Egenolph) (1502–1555), in 1559 (see Willard Fiske’s 1882, “A Catalogue of Petrarch Books,” p. 23), titled: “Hülff, Trost vnd Rath in allem anligen der Menschen. Francisci Petrarche, des hochwei- sen, fürtreflichen Poeten vnd Oratorn, zwei Trost- biücher, Von Artznei vnd Rath beyde im guten vnd widerwertigen Glück” ([Google transl.] “Hülff, Trost vnd ​​Rath in all things human.  Francisci Petrarche, the wise, noble poet and orator, two consolation books, Von Artznei vnd Rath both in good and disgusting happiness”). Arguably, the quality of the impression, showing little or no sign of wear to the printing plate, and the form of the German letterpress text (verso) suggests the early/lifetime edition.

Woodcut on laid paper with letterpress German text verso, trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 14.5 x 16.1 cm; (image borderline) 14.4 x 15.6 cm.

Condition: a good but slightly grey impression. The sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing) and is laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this remarkable woodcut of a sixteenth century assault upon a citadel for the total cost of AU$197 (currently US$140.89/EUR119.81/GBP107.93 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 highly detailed old master woodcut, 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

Hans Weiditz’s woodcut, “Sheep shearing, milking and butchery …”, 1514–1522/1532

Hans Weiditz (II) (aka Master of Petrach) (1495–1537)

“Sheep shearing, milking and butchery with a pictorial narrative about a king in the distance” (descriptive title only), 1514–1522 and/or 1532, woodcut illustration to Petrach's (aka Francesco Petrarca) (1304–1374) “The Artzney Bayder Glück” (aka “Trostspiegel“), printed by Heinrich Steiner (fl.1522–1548), published in 1532 by Johann Schott (aka Hans Schotten; Hans Schott; Ioannem Schottum) (fl.early1500s).

Note the Rijksmuseum offers the following description of the series of prints featuring this woodcut:

(transl.) “A king is crowned outside on a field while a crowd attacks a young counselor Illustrations from "Von der Artzney bayder Glück" by Francesco Petrarca, the so-called "Trostspiegel" for the first time [series title]”

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.49226)

Woodcut with letterpress text verso on fine laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 25.9 x 27.2 cm; (leaf) 14.4 x 15.8; (image borderline) 14.2 x 15.5 cm

Ref: Heinrich Theodor Musper, “Die Holzschnitte des Petrarkameisters : ein kritisches Verzeichnis mit einleitung” (The woodcuts of the Petrarch Master: a critical index with introduction), Munich, 1927; GK Nagler, “Neues allgemeines Künstler-Lexikon”, xxi, Munich, 1851, p. 364; H Röttinger, “Hans Weiditz der Petrarkameister”, Strasbourg, 1904; H Röttinger, “Neues zum Werke Hans Weiditz”, in “Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für vervielfältigende Kunst”, Vienna, 1911, p. 46ff; W Scheidig, “Die Holzschnitte des Petrarca-Meisters: Zu Petrarcas Werk, Von der Artzney bayder Glück”, Berlin, 1955; G Bartrum, “German Renaissance Prints”, exh. cat., London, BM, 1995, p.160; G Messling, “Beck or the Petrarch Master”, PQ, June 2004, pp.146–154.

Condition: a museum-quality strong impression (presumably a lifetime impression as there is minimal wear to the lines) in near perfect condition apart from a small and virtually invisible restoration to the upper edge of the sheet. The sheet is backed with an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this lifetime impression of an exceptional woodcut by one of the most important of the Germany printmakers at the beginning of the 1500s for AU$390 in total (currently US$290.55/EUR248.13/GBP219.20 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 museum-quality woodcut of the utmost rarity—neither the British Museum nor the Rijksmuseum hold a copy of this print—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

Several times I have been asked if I would list a few prints by Hans Baldung—one of Durer’s pupils. Sadly, from a brief look I haven’t found any in my collection. Nevertheless, this print by Hans Wechtlin is probably a good substitute. After all, like Baldung, Wechtlin is one of the most important German Renaissance woodcut illustrators and this print certainly reveals why he is so revered for his curiously engaging compositions.

There is a notable difference, however, between the works of Baldung and Wechtlin as Giulia Bartrum (1995) in the British Museum catalogue, “German Renaissance Prints 1490–1550” points out:

“Baldung’s prints display an overwhelming concern for the interpretation of human emotion and power rather than for harmonious composition or the technique of printmaking itself, both of which are important factors in Wechtlin’s work” (p. 64).

Regarding the technical aspect of this print, I will focus on only one feature that I see as very revealing in the hope that it “speaks broadly” for Weiditz’s knowledge of his craft: the way that Weiditz portrays the rock underneath the front foot of the lamb—a little to the left of centre in the foreground—looking at the butcher at his work. What is noteworthy about the treatment of this small rock is that the lines are rendered as black lines whereas the tufts of grass behind the rock are rendered in white lines. This may seem a rather trivial feature to focus on, but the juxtaposition of positive (black) lines with negative (white) lines is a hallmark of a woodcut artist skilled in his craft.