Johannes Wierix’s engraving, “Portrait of Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen”, 1572

Johannes Wierix (aka Jan Wierix) (1539–1620)

“Portrait of Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen”—a Dutch painter who is also known as Jan Mayo, or Barbalonga (c1504–1559),1572, plate 15 in the series of 23 engraved plates to “Pictorum aliquot celebrium Germaniae inferioris Effigies”, initially published by Theodoor Galle (1571–1633), 1572, in Antwerp. This impression is from the 1694 edition published by D and T Browne (fl.1694) in London as illustrations to Sebastiano Resta's "The True Effigies Of The Most Eminent Painters And Other Famous Artists".

Archive.org offers an online view of this publication (“The true effigies of the most eminent painters, and other famous artists that have flourished in Europe. Curiously engraven on copper-plates. Together with an account of the time when they lived, the most remarkable passages of their lives, and most considerable works. Very useful for all such gentlemen as are lovers of art and ingenuity”); see https://archive.org/details/trueeffigiesofmo00rest/page/n62/mode/2up.

Engraving on fine laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the outer borderline and archivally hinged to a support sheet..

Size: (sheet) 20.5 x 11.9 cm; (outer borderline) 20 x 11.7 cm.

Lettered in plate: (upper edge) "Obijt Bruxellis 1559. ætat. 59. ad D. Gaugerici conditus./ 15."; (within the image borderline at lower right corner) "IHW"; (below the image borderline) “15 IOANNI MAIO, PICTORI./ Quos homines , quæ non Maius loca pinxit , & vrbes/ Visendum latè quicquid & Orbis habet;/ Dum terrâ sequiturque mari te, Carole Cæfar,/ Pingeret vt dextræ fortia facta tuæ;/ Quæ mox Attalicis fulgerent aurea textis,/ Materiem artifici Jed Superante manu,/  Nec minus ille suâ  Spectacula præbuit arte,/ Celso conspicuus vertice grata  tibi;/ Iussus prolixæ detecta volumina barbæ/ Ostentare suos pendula ad vsque pedes./ [lower left corner] "Th. Galle excud."

State iv (of iv)

Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1743 IV (Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1978, “Les Estampes Des Wierix”, vol. 3, [text] p. 347, cat. no. 1743 IV, [ill.] p. 245); Hollstein 2027 (Wierix); Alvin 2047; Riggs 269; Van Someren 1888 5774d.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Plate 15: Portrait of Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen, three-quarter length, turned to the left, head turned to face the viewer; with moustache and very long beard, seated and holding a book in his right hand while writing in it with his left hand, an exotic landscape seen behind him with a group of figures to right, a man menacing another figure with a sword; fourth state with an extra numbering of "15" before name; from the fourth edition of the series used as illustrations to Sebastiano Resta's "The True Effigies Of The Most Eminent Painters And Other Famous Artists" (D. and T. Browne: London, 1694). c.1572" (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1872-1012-4160).

Condition: a very strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression with narrow margins around the outer image borderline. The sheet is hinged to a support sheet and is in an extraordinary state of preservation for its considerable age with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this visually riveting portrait of an artist drawing in an exotic landscape with a murder occurring beyond his left shoulder for the total cost of AU$312 (currently US$231.21/EUR199.33/GBP170.42 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 psychologically engaging portrait from the Baroque age, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Note that this is the second impression of this print that I have listed (the previous copy has been sold).

Johannes Wierix’s engraving, “Portrait of the Painter Willem Key”, 1572

Johannes Wierix (aka Jan Wierix) (1539–1620)

“Portrait of the Painter Willem Key” (aka “Portrait of William Cayo”; “Guilielmo Caio Bredano, Pictori”), 1572, plate 20 from the series of 23 engravings, “Pictorum Aliquot Celebrium Germaniae Inferioris Effigies” with Latin verses by Dominicus Lampsonius (1532–1599). This impression is from the third edition published in Antwerp by Theodoor Galle (aka Theodor Galle; Dirck Galle) (1571–1633).

English Books Online offers the following accompanying description to this engraving of the portrayed Flemish painter (Willem Key [1515/16–1568]):

“Born at Breda; beloved of all for his virtuous manner of life, he chiefly set himsel to draw faces by the life, which he did with that approbation, that there was scarce a person of Quality of his time in that Countrey, but were drawn by him; that of Cardinal Granvil, and the Prince of Orange, above others are most admired; The Duke of Alva Governor of the Low Countries at that time for the K. of Spain sent for him to Brussels to draw his picture, which while he was doing, struck with horror (as he confessed to some of his friends a little before his death) at the bloody resolutions and actions of the said Duke, he fell sick of a fever and died, the same day that the Counts Egmont and Horne, two of the most Illustrious Per∣sons of the Low Countries lost their heads” (see “20. William Cayo”: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A57086.0001.001/1:5?rgn=div1;view=fulltext).

Engraving on early laid paper (i.e. the paper shows the attribute of a strong accumulation of paper pulp beside the laid lines). Note that in the first state the Latin text is letterpress printed and in this impression from the fourth state the text is engraved in the plate.

Size: (sheet) 29.2 x 19.1 cm; (plate) 21 x 12 cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (upper edge) “Obijt Antuerpiæ anno 1568 [Died in Paris in the year 1568]/ Z0 [20].”; (lower right corner) “IHW” [engraver’s monogram].

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (lower left) “Th. Galle excud.”; (centre) “GVILIELMO CAIO, BREDANO,/ PICTORI./ Quas hominum facies, vt eos te cernere credas,/ Expressit Caij pingere docta manus,/ Si tamen excipias vnum, me iudice, + Morum/ Culpari Belgæ nullius arte​ timent.”; (lower right) “+ Antonius Morus Vltraiectinus,/ Philippi II. Hisp. Regis pictor.”

Hand inscribed in faded brown ink below the image borderline: “20”.

State iv (of v) with the letterpress verses replaced with engraved text (state ii); the addition of Galle as the publisher (state iii); the addition of the line of text above Willem Key's head (state iv).

Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1746.IV (Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1978, “Les Estampes Des Wierix”, vol. 3, [text] p. 345, cat. no. 1746 IV, [ill.] p. 245); Hollstein 2032; Riggs 269.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print from its first state:

“Plate 20: Portrait of Willem Key, three quarter length, facing right; with a beard and a bonnet, holding a palette and some brushes; first state; from the first edition published by the widow of Hieronymus Cock in Antwerp in 1572” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1879-0510-452).

Interestingly, Jan Wierix’s pupil, Hendrik Hondius I (1573–1650), published a copy in reverse after his master’s engraving (see https://pictura-prints.com/product/antique-print-portrait-willem-key-painter-hondius-1610/).

Condition: a near faultless, strong and well-printed impression with substantial margins. Beyond a brown ink inscription (now faded) of the plate number, the sheet is in pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this marvellously preserved engraving showing the Flemish painter, Willem Key—famous for painting flattering portraits and (sadly for the wrong reason) for dying from shock following the public execution of conspirators in an assassination plot he had overheard while painting the portrait of the Duke of Alba—for AU$243 (currently US$180.96/EUR153.40/GBP130.65 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 exquisitely fine engraving, 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

Johannes Wierix’s engraving, “The Pharaoh Drowning in the Red Sea with his Troops”, after Marten van Cleve I

Johannes Wierix (aka Jan Wierix; Jeronimus Wierix) (1539–1620)

“The Pharaoh Drowning in the Red Sea with his Troops” (aka “Le pharaon noyé dans la Mer Rouge, avec ses troupes” [Mauquoy-Hendrickx title]; “The Egyptians are drowned as Moses parts the waves” [Wellcome collection title]), 1579 (Rijksmuseum date), from the two plates of “Histoire de Moïse”, in the series “Thesaurus sacrarum historiarum veteris testamenti, elegantissimis imaginabus expressum excellentissimorum in hac arte virorum opera: nunc primum in lucem editus”, after Marten van Cleve I (aka Marten van Cleef) (1527–1581), published by Gerard de Jode (aka Geeraert de Jode; Geerart de Jode; Gerardo de Jode; Gheerde de Jode; Gheraerde de Jode; Girard de Jode; Gerard de Jode (1516/17–1591) in Antwerp.

Engraving and etching on laid paper with a small margin and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 21.7 x 30.5 cm; (plate) 20 x 28.6 cm; (image borderline) 18.9 x 28.5 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (on shield at lower centre) “.IHE.W.” (monogram of Hieronymus Wierix [1553–1619]); (below sheath of arrows at lower right) “8”.

Lettered in Latin on plate below the image borderline: “Itur, atrox Pharao perit æquore, transit Hebreus. Sicut in excultæ per loca plana viæ. Exod: 14.”

Lifetime impression of state i (of v)

Mauquoy-Hendrickx 23 I (Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1978, “Les Estampes Des Wierix”, vol. 1, [text] p. 3, [ill.] p. 2); New Hollstein Dutch 33-1(4) (Zsuzsanna van Ruyven-Zeman [comp.] 2003, “Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: The Wierix family: part I”, vol. 59, Rotterdam, Sound and Vision Rijksprentenkabinet, p. 30, p. 31 [ill.], cat. no. 33).

The British Museum holds an extraordinary hand-coloured impression (contemporary colouring) of this print and offers the following description:

“The crossing of the red sea; to left, the Pharaoh on his chariot, crossing the red sea, with his horses and his soldiers struggling to keep afloat; Egyptian troops seen in the background, to left. (Ex. 14)”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1968-1018-1-65).

See also the description of this print at the Rijksmuseum:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.331297.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with a small margin laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There is a restored tear towards the upper edge, restoration of a small section of the lower margin and a faded ink inscription on the lower right corner; otherwise the sheet is in an excellent condition for its considerable age with no losses, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this exceptionally rare first state (of five), lifetime impression that is seldom seen on the art market for AU$286 (currently US$212.26/EUR175.01/GBP158 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 scene of dramatic upheaval 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.

This print has been sold