Lambert
Suavius (aka Lambert Zutman; Lambert Zoetman;
Lambert Le Doux) (c1510–1567)
“St Peter”, 1545–48, plate
11 from the series of fourteen plates showing Christ, the Apostles and St Paul,
“Christ and the Apostles” (Hollstein 9–22).
Engraving on laid paper,
trimmed around the image borderline with significant restoration of the lower
right corner and backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.
Size: (sheet) 20 x 9.3 cm.
Lettered in in plate: (lower
left corner) ”SVAVIVS/ II NIVEN".
Hollstein 10 (Dieuwke de
Hoop Scheffer & George S. Keyes [comp.] 1984, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings
and Woodcuts ca.1450–1700: Louis Spirinx to M. Suys”, vol. 28, Blaricum, Van
Gendt, p. 169, cat.no. 10).
The British Museum offers
the following description of this print: “Plate 11: St Peter; The saint,
whole-length to right in profile, perched on a block and holding a book; behind
him is a key and at the right is a headless statue on a plinth and a ruined
fragment of an arch/ Engraving” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1925-1117-23).
See also the description
of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.181149.
There are several things
that I find fascinating about this print. The first is that Suavius has introduced
the use of stippling along with hatching to render light and shade. This is
interesting for me as stippling had been used for the first time only a few
years earlier by Giulio Campagnola. The second thing that I find worthy of pondering
is the setting for the saint in a classical ruin. Although this may seem to be a
minor concern, if one considers that Suavius’ brother-in-law and teacher was
Lambert Lombard and Lombard adhered to the view that “it was better to imitate
a single statue than all the work of the moderns” (see Stephen J Campbell &
Jeremie Koering [eds.] 2016, “Andrea Mantegna: Making Art”, John Wiley & Sons, p. 158)—here we are
talking about Renaissance era “moderns”—then the antique setting and the
artist’s approach to treating the saint as if he were a monumental sculpture
has some meaningful resonance.
Condition: a strong and
well-printed impression but with significant restoration of the lower right
corner, trimmed around the image borderline and laid upon a support sheet of archival
(millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins.
I am selling this
marvellous engraving that (to my eye) follows in the tradition of Andrea
Mantegna (1431–1506)—in terms low-horizon monumentality and referencing the
antique—and certainly shows significant borrowings from Giulio Campagnola
(1482–1515)—viz. the use of stippling to render light and shade—for the total
cost of AU$298 (currently/approximately US$201.03/EUR185.71/GBP156.95 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$298) as this
is my currency.
If you are interested in
purchasing this marvellously strong and curious image of St Peter—note St Peter’s
key to heaven resting near his backside—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
