Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etching, “Two Marble Tripods in the Villa Albani”, 1778

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778)

“Two Marble Tripods in the Villa Albani” (aka “Tripodi antichi di marmo che si vedono nella Villa dell'Emo Cardinal Albani fuori di Porta Salara” [Ancient marble tripods that can be seen in the Villa dell'Emo Cardinal Albani outside Porta Salara]), 1778, from the series of 110 plates (see Wilton-Ely [1994] vol. 2, pp. 961–62), “Vasi, candelabri, cippi, sarcofagi, tripodi, lucerne, ed ornamenti antichi disegnati ed incisi dal Cav. Gio. Batt. Piranesi (Vases, candelabra, grave stones, sarcophagi”, tripods, lamps and ornaments designed and etched by Cavaliere Giovanni Battista Piranesi). This impression is from the first edition as indicated by the pair of watermarks of that time (Wilton-Ely 1994, cat. nos. 59 & 64 of the “mid 1770s–1790s”) published in Rome in the second volume (of two).

Etching (with engraving) on heavy laid paper with the “Opere Varie” (cat. no. 64) and “Bracciano” (cat. no. 59) watermarks of the mid 1770s–1790s at opposite end of the double-page sheet (see Wilton-Ely 1994, vol. 2, pp. 1169. 1171), full margins and centre-fold as published.

Size: (sheet) 76.5 x 54.5 cm; (plate) 52.8 x 38.8 cm.

Lettered on plate in Italian: (centre of upper edge) “Tripodi antichi di marmo che si vedono nella Villa dell'Emo Cardinal Albani/ fuori di Porta Salara”; (centre of lower edge) “A Sua Eccellenza il Signor Betsky Consigliere privato attuale, Ciamberlano attuale di/ S.M.I., Presidente dell'Accademia delle Arti, Capo del nobil Corpo dei Cadetti, Direttore/ Generale delle Fabtiche, Cavaliere degli Ordini di S. Andrea, di S. Alessandro, e di S. Anna./ In segno d'Ossequio Il Cavaliere Gio. Batta Piranesi”; (lower left corner) “Cavalier Piranes del. e inc.”.

Inscribed by an old hand in ink at upper right corner: “33”.

Wilton-Ely 1994 918 (John Wilton-Ely 1994, “Giovanni Battista Piranesi, The Complete Etchings”, vol. 2, San Francisco, AlanWofsy, p. 996, cat. no. 918); Focillon 1918 631 (Henri Focillon 1918, “Giovanni Battista Piranesi: Essai de catalogue raisonné de son Ouvre”, Bologna, p. 327, cat. no. 631); Ficacci 2000 763 (Luigi Ficacci 2000, “Giovanni Battista Piranesi: The Complete Etchings”, Cologne, Taschen, vol. 2, p. 598, cat. no. 763).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Two antique marble tripods from the Collection of Cardinal Albani at his villa outside the Porta Salara, Rome”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3008447&page=2&partId=1&searchText=piranesi%20vase%20albani)

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print:

(transl.) “Two antique tripods. Above: a tripod with winged and horned lions as legs. Below: a tripod with frieze with sea nymphs and satyrs.”

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.66762)

See also a fine discussion about this print and a biography of Piranesi at Alexandre Antique Prints, Maps & Books (Abebooks):

https://www.abebooks.com/art-prints/Plate-333-Tripodi-antichi-marmo-vedono/1246594043/bd   

Condition: strong impression from the first edition (based on the dual watermarks of the late 1700s) with full margins and centre-fold (as published). The sheet has minor chips, small tears along the centre-fold and age-toning, otherwise the sheet is in very good condition for its considerable age.

I am selling this huge, first edition, magnificent Piranesi’s etching for a total cost of AU$720 (currently US$490.66/EUR442.68/GBP372.10 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this stunning impression exemplifying Piranesi’s wish to entice potential collectors—“aristocrats and gentlemen on the Grand Tour” (Wilton-Ely 1994, p. 961) including the cardinal to whom this plate is dedicated (Cardinal Alessandro Albani (1692–1779)—with his “ingenious confections” based on classical antiquities which he was creatively restoring and selling, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Paul Rajon's etching, “Portrait of Gerard Dou”

Paul Rajon (aka Paul Adolphe Rajon) (1843–1888)

“Portrait of Gerard Dou” (aka “His own Portrait” [published title]; “The Painter’s own Portrait”), 1876, after Gerard Dou’s (aka Gerrit Dou; Gerard Dow) (1613–1675) possible self-portrait in the National Gallery, London (inv.nr.NG192), published in 1876 by Seeley, Jackson & Halliday (London) (fl.1867–1880) in Philip Gilbert Hamerton’s (ed.) “The Portfolio: An Artist Periodical”, bound in-between pages 32–33.

Etching on cream laid paper with generous margins and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 35 x 24.1 cm; (plate) 19 x 14.8 cm; (image borderline) 16.8 x 13,2 cm

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline and following the inscription on the original painting in background at right: “CDOV”. (G. DOU)

(Scratch) inscribed on plate below the image borderline: (centre) “P. Rajon aq. ft."

The National Gallery (London) offers the following insights about Gerard Dou’s (possible) self-portrait, “Portrait of a Man”, 1635-40 (oil on oak, 18.9 x 14.7 cm):

“In this tiny portrait, an affable young man turns towards us, settling his elbow over the back of his chair. His pipe is paused and he meets our gaze with an easy, relaxed look. Perhaps he has just taken a puff; the tobacco is glowing and smoke twists upwards from the bowl. Other minute details – from the pattern of the gold braid on the man’s hat to the reflections in his eyes – add to the atmosphere, and it is through such meticulous painting that Gerrit Dou has managed to capture the sense of a moment in time, rather than just a deadpan likeness. But the realism belies the point of the painting. Until recently it was thought to be a self portrait, but the similarities with known paintings of Dou are too generic for us to be sure. It is more likely that this is a tronie – an image of a stock character – which were highly popular in the Netherlands at the time.”

(https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/gerrit-dou-portrait-of-a-man)

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Portrait of Gerard Dou; half-length turned to the left, facing the viewer; wearing a beret and holding a pipe; within oval; after Gerrit Dou”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3488244&page=1&partId=1&searchText=after%20gerrit%20dou)

See also the description of this print offered by the National Galleries of Scotland:

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/152383/gerard-dou-1613-c-1675-dutch-painter

Condition: richly inked and well-printed (near faultless) lifetime impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate, with generous margins. Beyond minor imperfections in the paper the sheet is in near pristine condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, losses, abrasions, stains or foxing) laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this strong etching arguably featuring a self-portrait of one of Rembrandt’s most famous students (Gerard Dou)—interestingly, an artist purported by R N Wornum in “The Portfolio” (1876) to paint “under an umbrella to protect his work from dust” (p. 33)—for a total cost of AU$185 (currently US$126.31/EUR114.13/GBP95.96 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 subtly executed etching—note the exquisite transitions of tone in the rendering of the face that require magnification to see the individual strokes—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Philips Galle's engraving, “Giovanni de Medici Surrounded at Rome”, 1583

Philips Galle (aka Philippe Galle; Philippus Gallaeus) (1537–1612)

“Giovanni de Medici Surrounded at Rome” (aka “Giovanni, Surrounded by Armed Men at Rome, Defends Himself” [TIB title]), 1582/3, plate 1 to the series of twenty-one engravings (including the title plate), “Mediceae Familiae Rerum Feliciter Gestarum Victoriae et Triumphi”, after Jan van der Straet (aka Joannes Stradanus; Ioannes Stradanus) (1523–1605), published by Philips Galle in Antewerp.

Engraving on laid paper trimmed around the platemark.

Size: (sheet) 22.3 x 29.7 cm.

Lettered on plate within the image borderline: (centre of lower edge) “Johannes Stradanus inventor. Philippus Galle sculpsit et excudit.”

Numbered and lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “1”; (centre in two lines of Latin) “Johannes Medices …/ …Funditq[ue].”

State i (of ii) lifetime impression.

TIB 5601.102:2 (Arno Dolders [ed.] 1987, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists: Philips Galle”, vol. 56, Supplement, p. 385, cat. no. [5601].102:2); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 353.I (Johannes Stradanus) (Marjolein Leesberg [comp.] 2008, “The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700: Johannes Stradanus”, vol. 3, Amsterdam, Sound and Vision Rijksmuseum, p. 40, cat. no. 353); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 489.2 (Philips Galle) (Manfred Sellink [comp.] 2001, “The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700: Philips Galle”, vol. 3, Rotterdam, Sound and Vision p. 192; p. 199. cat. no. 489); Baroni Vannucci 1997 691.14 (Alessandra Baroni Vannucci 1997, “Jan van der Straet, detto Giovanni Stradano, flandrus pictor et inventor”, Milan, Jandi Sapi Editori).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Plate numbered 1: Giovanni de' Medici surrounded at Rome; two armies fighting at the bridge of Castel Sant'Angelo; to right, [children] and the elderly fleeing; at centre, in the foreground, two army leaders confronting each other.”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1594468&partId=1&searchText=Giovanni&people=124229&page=1)

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description:

(transl.) “The young Giovanni de Medici, called 'dalle Bande Nere', is surrounded by members of the Orsini family during a street fight on the [Castel Sant'Angelo bridge]. He slaps wildly with his sword and flees the besiegers. The print has a Latin caption and is part of a series about the family history of the De 'Medici family.”

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.114841)

Condition: well-printed lifetime impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate, trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline. Beyond minor age-toning (appropriate to the age of the impression), the sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, losses, abrasions, stains or foxing).

I am selling this rare impression of the first plate (following the title plate) to the series, “History of the Medici”, for a total cost of AU$304 (currently US$207.98/EUR187.95/GBP158.41 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 amazing engraving full of action and I must point out the compositionally daring use of the soldier's foot on the left that “steps” over the image borderline to reflexively draw the viewer into the pictorial space of the scene, 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

Philips Galle's engraving, “Title Plate: History of the Medici”, 1583

Philips Galle (aka Philippe Galle; Philippus Gallaeus) (1537–1612)

“Title Plate: History of the Medici” (aka “Mediceae Familiae Rerum Feliciter Gestarum Victoriae et Triumphi”), 1583, title plate to the series of twenty-one engravings (including this plate), “Mediceae Familiae Rerum Feliciter Gestarum Victoriae et Triumphi”, after Jan van der Straet (aka Joannes Stradanus; Ioannes Stradanus) (1523–1605), published by Philips Galle in Antewerp.

Engraving on laid paper trimmed around the platemark.

Size: (sheet) 20.9 x 27.9 cm.

Lettered on plate within the image borderline: (armorial banderole) “PLVS […] OVLTRE” [More]; (cartouche at centre) “MEDICEAE FAMILIAE/ RERVM FELICITER GESTARVM/ VICTORIAE ET TRIUMPHI./ Elegantissimis iconibus à Iohanne Stradano Flandro,/ artificiosissimo penicillo delineate et à/ Philippo Gallæo in æs/ incisa, et edita./1583.”

Lettered on plate below the image borderline in two lines of Latin text: “INGENIO ET GENIO NOBILI DNO AMBROSIO MARIENBERGO, OMNIS GENERIS PICTVRAE/ ET ELEGANTIARVM ADMIRATORI, PHILIPP. GALLAEVS L.M. DEDICABAT.”

State i (of iii) lifetime impression.

TIB 5601.102:1 (Arno Dolders [ed.] 1987, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists: Philips Galle”, vol. 56, Supplement, p. 384, cat. no. [5601].102:1); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 352.I (Johannes Stradanus) (Marjolein Leesberg [comp.] 2008, “The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700: Johannes Stradanus”, vol. 3, Amsterdam, Sound and Vision Rijksmuseum, p. 39, cat. no. 352); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 488.I (Philips Galle) (Manfred Sellink [comp.] 2001, “The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700: Philips Galle”, vol. 3, Rotterdam, Sound and Vision, p. 192, cat. no. 488); Baroni Vannucci 1997 691 (Alessandra Baroni Vannucci 1997, “Jan van der Straet, detto Giovanni Stradano, flandrus pictor et inventor”, Milan, Jandi Sapi Editori).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Title Plate to a series of twenty-one prints on the military deeds of Giovanni de' Medici; at centre a cartouche lettered with title and authors; a coat of arms surmounting the cartouche and four captives seen at top and bottom of the cartouche; the Medici coat of arms seen on both sides with various military motives, including armoury; with dedication to Ambrosius of Marienbourg.”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1618542&partId=1&searchText=Mediceae&page=1)

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description:

(transl.) “Cartouche with the title of the series: Mediceae Familiae rerum feliciter gestarum victoriae et triumphi. Around the cartouche weaponry (armour, bladed weapons, drums, guns and banners) and four prisoners, hands tied behind their backs. Top left and top right successively the arms of Giovanni de 'Medici (nicknamed dalle Bande Nere) and Cosimo I de' Medici. The latter crowned and with the order of the golden fleece. The weapon directly above the cartouche refers to the Habsburg emperors. It is a double-headed eagle with the coat of arms of Austria on the chest. In addition, the order of the golden fleece and the two columns of Hercules with the motto of Charles V: Plus oultre.”

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.595145)

Condition: richly inked and near faultless lifetime impression trimmed with a thread margin around the image borderline. The sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, losses, abrasions, stains or foxing).

I am selling this superb lifetime impression of the title plate to the series, “History of the Medici”, for a total cost of AU$304 (currently US$207.98/EUR187.95/GBP158.41 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 fabulous title plate that is a true tropaion monument to the military deeds and power of Giovanni de' Medici, 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

Alexander Runciman's etching, “Cormar Attacking the Spirit of the Waters”, 1774

Alexander Runciman (1736–1785)

“Cormar Attacking the Spirit of the Waters”, 1774, illustration inspired by an episode in “Fingal” (see https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ossian/oss24.htm) in James Macpherson's (1736–1796) “The Works of Ossian” (1765)—a reputed translation of the oral cycle of Gaelic poetry of the (possibly) legendary narrator/poet, Ossian. This composition relates to the cycle of ceiling paintings by Runciman in Penicuik House (Midlothian, Scotland) destroyed by fire in 1899.

Etching on fine laid paper trimmed along the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 7.5 x 12.8 cm.

Inscribed on plate: (lower edge) "ARunciman [“AR” in monogram] inv & [in reverse] fecit […]  [“Uid Fiingul” faint and not fully decipherable and perhaps a reference to Fingal].

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Cormar standing at a deck in profile to left, his left foot forward, about to grab the spirit in a wave on the left with his right hand, a sword in his left, three other figures in the right background.”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3296159&partId=1&searchText=Alexander+Runciman&page=1)

Condition: richly inked and well-printed impression, trimmed along the platemark in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, losses, abrasions, significant stains or foxing), laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this small but visually arresting etching executed with confident spontaneity and creative invention—note how the freely sketched figures (water spirits) fleeing the central figure (Cormar) are convincingly portrayed as whisper-like apparitions—for a total cost of AU$330 (currently US$225.76/EUR204.02/GBP171.95 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 gem of Scottish printmaking capturing some of the passion of Goya and William Blake, 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