The  AHA!  Event  of  the  Month

Santomaso, Giuseppe (1907 Venice 1990). Memento mori. The bone in the ground. Colour lithograph. Inscribed in pencil: 17/100 / Santomaso ’64. 54.5 x 37 cm.

On Rives hand-made paper. – Drystamp ERKER-PRESSE. – Santomaso was founding member of “Fronte Nuovo delle arti”. Connections with Braque, Léger, Morandi. Developing on an abstract Hermetism, here, however, representionally pictorial-fine. Professor at the Academy Venice. Numerous international exhibitions.
Offer no. 14,548 / EUR  930. / Export price EUR  884. (c. US$ 1402.) + shipping

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). The Reward of Cruelty. The body of the executed monster Tom Nero handed over to the anatomy which itself works perfectly. The full professor personally chairs the taking to pieces, while the sterilization of skulls and bones front left can be left to itself. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Designed by W. Hogarth. / Engraved by T. Cook. / London Published by G. G. & J. Robinson Paternoster Row October 1^st. 1799., title as before. 40.6 x 32.9 cm.

The Four Stages of Cruelty IV. – Splendid impression of this unrivaled sujet of finest light contrast and contrary to all later Hogarth editions in its original folio size. – At the back lightly foxed, but unvisibly at the front side.

Hogarth’s  gorgeously  detailed  depiction  of  anatomy

with 12 liner as subtext :

“ Behold the Villain’s dire disgrace! / Not Death itself can end. / He finds no peaceful Burial-Place; / His breathless Corse, no friend.

Torn from the Root, that wicked Tongue, / Which daily swore and curst! / Those Eyeballs, from their Socket’s wrung; / That glow’d with lawless Lust!

His Heart, expos’d to prying Eyes, / To Pity has co Claim: / But, dreadful from his Bones shall rise, / His Monument of shame. ”

Left and right in wall niches the prepared skeletons of the boxer James Field hanged up already earlier and the highwayman MacLeane resp. The latters – Lichtenberg annotates drily – stand there like bearers of the emblem of the medical faculty on which both are pointing. This coat-of-arms over the president’s chair serving to the latter’s dignified head just as a crown consists of a hand feeling another the pulse. And indeed in a very graceful way with the small finger. Ireland annotates in this connection that a hand taking a guinea – the ordinary fee for a consultation – would be suited better for the learned faculty. – Together with sheets 1-3 as the complete set. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 14,403  /  price on request

– – – The same in Cook’s smaller version without the subtext. Inscribed: Hogarth pinxt. / T. Cook sculpt. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, Novr. 1^st. 1807., title as above. Picturesize 16.8 x 13.8 cm.

Fine in its light-contrast. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark. Thats outer parts somewhat time-marked. – Together with sheets 1-3 as the complete set.
Offer no. 14,404 / EUR  390. / Export price EUR  371. (c. US$ 588.) + shipping

(Death, The.) While receiving the sacraments the winged death with hourglass and arrow appears to the dying woman. Engraving. (1679.) 8.8 x 6.2 cm.

Verso: (The Last Judgement.) Earth breaks up and releases the dead, filled with amazement, gratitude, and – expectation. Engraving as before. – Weak waterstreak above the image. There and also outside of the image a larger acid-freely repaired tear with loss of some letters of the general text.
Offer no. 13,085 / EUR  35. (c. US$ 56.) + shipping

Buochs (CH), Charnel-House in. Visitor scenery before the skull shelf. Wood engraving for Adolf Closs (1840 Stuttgart 1894; “at his time one of the best of his profession in Germany”, Thieme-Becker). (1875/77.) 16 x 13.8 cm.

BACK: Milker of Buochs. Smoking his pipe at the open window. Wood engraving, supposedly after Charles Hermans (Brussels 1839 – Mentone 1924). 15.5 x 10.8 cm. – On both sides text complete in itself on folklore, especially on the Alpine tradition of the return of the herds.
Offer no. 9,655 / EUR  48. (c. US$ 76.) + shipping

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). Consultation of Physicians (Arms of the Undertakers). The Collegium Medicum or the coat of arms of the undertakers. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Hogarth pinx^t. / T. Cook sculp^t. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, Jan^y. 1^st. 1809. Subject size 17.1 x 14.2 cm.

Cook’s smaller version without the 6-lined subtext of this brilliant guild arms with the device Et plurima mortis imago. Representing the last hope of the undertakers in bad times – the physicians. – Trimmed within the wide platemark and especially in its upper margin somewhat time-spotted. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 8,929 / EUR  125. (c. US$ 198.) + shipping

“ The  Great  Sheet  of  Danse  Macabre ”

Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Danse Macabre. Circular chain danse of nine women + skeletons around opened casket with two skeletons inside and outside of the churchyard wall as centerpiece. In addition to it, placed back, chapel + charnel-house (?) along with walls. In the corners the Fall of man – Golgatha – the Eternal life + Purgatory , between two text-cartouches. In the outer-field surrounded by 12 medaillions together with text-cartouches for the danse of the men, separated by 8 (6 varying) vanitas attributes. Mezzotint by Johann Jacob Ridinger (1736 Augsburg 1784). Inscribed: Ioh. Iacob Ridinger sculps. / Ioh. El. Ridinger excud. Aug. Vindel., otherwise as following. 65.3 x 48 cm.

Th.-Stillfried + Schwarz 1428. – Illustration in L’Art Macabre 2, Yearbook of the European Danse Macabre Society, Dusseldorf 2001, within the contribution here “The Vanitas Symbolism with Joh. El. Ridinger”.

2^nd state (of 2?) as the copy in the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München, too. – The copies Stillfried, Schwarz and that of the sale Counts Faber-Castell (1958 as

not recordable in their states on the base of their descriptions. However, the one presented by Patrick Pollefeys on the internet proves to be earlier, at the present assumable as the first.

Not in Thienemann and in Dresden, see below, missing in the voluminous stocks of Weigel (1857) , Coppenrath (1889/90) , Wawra (1890) , Helbing (1900) , Rosenthal (1940) and others more.

Typographic + figurative watermark. – Above and on the right fine small margin nearly throughout, on the left and below predominantly trimmed on the 1.5 cm wide platemark. – To the middle laid on wide-margined hand-made paper per corner-mountage, one of which loosened, causing a repaired tear. Practically not disturbing center-fold.

The  very  fine  copy  in  respect  of  printing  +  condition

of a cultivated collection of nuanced chiaroscuro in all parts. And in such a way

of  greatest  rarity

not only on the market, but, as documented above, in general. And indeed already in 1675 the expert von Sandrart numbered “neat impressions” of the velvety mezzotint at only “50 or 60 (!). After that the image acquires polish soon for it does not go deep into the copper”. Corresponding to that Thienemann in 1856 (pp. VIII + 270) :

“ The mezzotints are almost not to be acquired on the market anymore … all together worked by or after Joh. El. Ridinger are so rare that they almost are only to be found in some public splendid collections. I have found the most of the described only in the famous Dresden printroom … ”

But not even there the one in question here made known only in 1876 by Count Stillfried. The quotations there not absolutely correct.

The  first  of  the  large  sized  2-sheet  set

with the “Allegory of the Period of Life” as pendant not present here (Thienemann-St. + Schwarz 1429; illustration of the copy in Augsburg in L’Art Macabre 2 as above)

as  the  culmination  of  Ridinger’s  vanitates

in actualized repetition of an anonymous leaflet of the late 16^th or early 17^th century, in any case “before 1623” as the “demonstrably earliest and most known Danse Macabre illustration of this kind in the German-language area”.

The texts of the cartouches each time in Latin + German versions. – In the centerpiece between Golgatha + Eternal life “Christ’s death has ruined the death and brought back the life” + below between Fall of man + Purgatory “Death and eternal hellish pain has brought about the sin alone”.

The outer-field presents clockwise from 1-12 the stations of the social structure of the great hundrum of the end, in the course of which the status symbols lie disrespectfully on the earth. Only the fool has been left cap and bells and the right grips the wand.

“ Papa. / Pope. … The pope’s power not withstanding death. // Imperator. / Emperor. … The head of the world falls to death. // Rex. / King. … The crowned head not spared by death. // Cardinalis. / Cardinal. … The cardinal I take home, too. // Episcopus. / Bishop. … I lead him to the churchyard. // Dux. / Duke. … Maybe gentleman or prince at last a dead man. // Comes. / Count. … Whether count or servant death be in the right. // Nobilis. / Nobleman. … No noble blood is too good for death. // Civis. / Citizen. … No man here has a lasting place. // Rusticus. / Peasant. … The farmer must under death’s foot, too. // Mendicus. / Beggar. / Miles. Soldier. … Soldier, beggar equally have to stand. // Stultus. Fool. / Enfans. Child. … Child and fools together belong to my kingdom. ”

The  grand  sheet  of  richest  thematic  here  present  for  the  first  time .

See the complete description.
Offer no. 28,414  /  price on request

At  Play  at  the  Open  Grave  …

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). The Idle ‘Prentice at Play in the Church Yard, during Divine Service. Tom Idle with shoeshine and two further guys on a coffin besides an open grave. Accordingly forcible the beadle reprimands them their wicked doings. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Design’d by W^m. Hogarth / Plate 3. / Engraved by T. Cook. / Published by T. Cook N^o. 11 Little Britain, & G. G. & J. Robinsons N^o. 25 Pater Noster Row, Oct^r. 1^st. 1795. 28.6 x 36.5 cm.

Industry & Idleness III. – Marvellous impression on buff paper. In its downright luxuriously wide white margin a few weak foxing spots and upper right slight waterstreak. Beyond that – contrary to all later Hogarth editions – in the original size. – Cook “made a name for himself as Hogarth engraver, too” (Thieme-Becker). – See the complete description.
Offer no. 7,530 / EUR  373. / Export price EUR  354. (c. US$ 561.) + shipping

– – – The same in engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840, university engraver there). Inscribed: W. Hogarth inv & pinx. / Pl. 3. / Riepenhs. f. 22.5 x 28 cm. – On slightly toned minor paper. – Riepenhausen’s engravings after Hogarth (“very estimable”, Nagler) belong to his chief work and are partly even preferred to Hogarth’s own engravings.
Offer no. 5,645 / EUR  76. (c. US$ 121.) + shipping

Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Allegory of Death. Engraving + etching after Andrea Andreani (also Andriani, Andreini, Andreasso, Andrea Mantuano; Mantua 1541 or later – supposedly there c. 1623) based on his clair obscur woodcut after Giovanni Fortuna Fortunius (1535-1611, active in Siena). Inscribed: Joh. El. Ridinger excud. Aug. Vind. Sheet size 57 x 40.6 cm.

Unknown  to  the  respective  literature

on Ridinger up to Wend, Ergänzungen zu den Œuvreverzeichnissen der Druckgrafik (1975), Niemeyer, Die Vanitas-Symbolik bei Joh. El. Ridinger (in L’Art Macabre, vol. 2, 2001) and the important catalogues of collections, sales, and exhibitions from Weigel (1838) till the present. Thematically though

in  its  iconographic  richness  not  reached

by the core of his partly extremely rare, but still known Mementi, the mezzotints Thienemann-Stillfried 1426-1431 ( 1428 see above ). And in its composition far from the latter two of these, the brutally realistic ones worked by Johann Jacob after Dieffenbrunner (1430 f.). Here then

the  Memento  Mori  as  piece  of  virtuosity ,

as intellectual challenge combined with an expressive-charming plasticity.

In  its  size  visibly  larger

than Andreani’s colour woodcut of 1588 worked in his best period in Siena (51.1 x 33.9 cm image size) of which in countless Old Master catalogues of the last decades just one copy of the 2^nd state can be proven here which nearly quintupled its estimate correspondingly (1994). As a whole then missing, too, amongst the not identical respective seven Andreanis of the collections Lanna (1895, + 3 variants) + Davidsohn (1920/21).

Andreani’s generally only small œuvre today estimated at c. 70 works (AKL, 1990, and

“ his work is to be valued as historically and arthistorically significant today” as Nagler, Monogramists I, 86, recorded already in 1858: “… the extraordinary activity of a man … about whom was often judged too severely since Bartsch … Andreani has to be looked at from a different viewpoint …” and in the same place per 1017: “the famous form cutter” ),

of which a major part falls into the time after 1600 though when he was active in Mantua as dealer and publisher only whereby he nevertheless put his monogram on blocks of other artists bought by him. But two works from 1608 and 1610 resp. are considered as original again. Bartsch’s principle stock of 25 plus two uncertain ones not quite up to date in both number and composition. Not affected by this though

the  Allegory  of  Death ,

symbolized by means of an architectural façade. With a death’s head with a snake winding through its mouth mounted plastically in connection with a canopy on the escutcheon as the head piece below an hourglass from which two skeleton arms holding a heavy rock for hurling reach upwards. Below in a rotunda the three Fates. On both sides steeples with subtext and differently acting death’s heads below the cross at the top and two also varying skulls at the pedestal. On the square stones below partly carried by two skeletons ITER AD VITAM .

On both sides beyond these skeletons escutcheons hanging down with the inscription BONIS BONA and MALIS MALA resp. To the inner the friends flank a wheel with eight inscribed spokes (on occasion of the Fortunus Nagler speaks of eight beams joining at the hub and communicating with its text), on its upper part on the left Adam and on the right Eve as beautiful mortals. The latter offers, with a wistful look, the infamous apple while caressing suggestively tempting her right breast with her left. Adam, not looking at her, stretches his left to her. The hands of both meet above a death’s head.

This group of the two carnal and skeletonized pairs form in their communication

the  scenic  event  as  such .

Both deaths push their bony elbows into the sides of the human couple. Of which Eve does not take notice. Correspondingly head attitude + facial expression of her Goodman:

Oh , these  women !

His pendant though talking to Adam man to man. Correspondingly thoughtful this with bowed head, additionally holding the right at his forehead.

Between the spokes of the large wheel the eightfold death. Representing in the upper half the clergy, in the lower half the worldliness. The rotating outer inscription STATVTVM EST OMNIBVS HOMINIBVS SEMEL MORI POST HOC AVTEM IVDICIVM. In the center of the hub SVM, vertas, omnibq idem. Rotating in two lines CORNVA VENTRE GERO, NVMEROS IN VERTICE MILLE, / IN PEDE SERPENTEM, DIC MIHI, SVM QVIS EGO? And heading clockwise towards the hub’s text

Vnde superbi / Vt deo placea / Et ideo studea / Terra est quasi fi / Cum nos Terra si / Mortem vitare nequi / De limo homo pri / Quid est nisi li .

Below the wheel and together above of an open coffin with a young woman with a cross in her hands the small head of an older bearded man – an even smaller further one at the head’s end of the casket – , flanked on both sides by two large mourners above of which are situated a harp’s head in a glory on the left, an owl on the right.

Before and below of the coffin first a large text cloth TRIA SVNT VERE QUAE ME FACIVNT FLERE, flanked by the symbolic winged death, two little skulls at the bottom of the coffin, and clergy and worldly attributes with two closed tomes as connecting parts. Far outside on the pedestals of the two skeletons two standing small deaths, each one holding an oval text plate: MEMENTO MORI + MEMORARE NOVISSIMA . The conclusion formed by a text plate joining the whole with Primum quidem durum, quia scio me moriturum Secundu(m) verò plango, quia moriar, et nescio quando. Tertium autem flebo, quia nescio ubi manebo. The decayed walls by the way interspersed with signs of their transitoriness.

Is Andreani’s so-called “Melancholy”, the woman meditating over a death’s head, qualified as “artistically a chief plate” with the addition “thematically extraordinary”, how much more his “Allegory of Death” taken up here by Ridinger as a

“ Pasticcio  of  iconographic , iconologic , and  artistic  quotes ” .

As being

extremely  rare  for  Andreani

(generally Thieme-Becker speak of “the great rareness of the leaves” ) ,

Here then in a fine, not quite contemporary impression on lines-free paper with wordmark watermark and surrounding fine margin around the image’s border line. Only here and there trimmed closely to it. The certain agemarkedness countered by professional restorative means as the backside (water) spottiness shines only partially quite lightly through to the picture side. In the hatched marginal field lower right written note on the artist only barely visible anymore. Shortly ,

a  rarissimum  looking  for  its  equals  of  fine  total  impression .

Offer no. 28,482  /  price on request

…  but  finally  even  Death  has  had  his  Last  Dance

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). Tail Piece or The Bathos or manner of Sinking, in Sublime Paintings, inscribed to the Dealers in Dark Pictures. The end of Everything. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). 1798. Inscribed: Designed by W. Hogarth. / Engraved by T. Cook. / Published by G. G. & J. Robinson Pater-noster Row December 1^st. 1708. (recte 1808), otherwise as above. 34 x 36.7 cm.

Hogarth catalogue of the Tate Gallery, 1971/72, 222, + Hogarth catalogue Zurich, 1983, 94, both the Hogarth version of 1764 and with ills. – Extensive subtext with – besides verses by Tacitus and Maximus Tyrius – important reference to “Analysis of Beauty”.

(Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of Nov. 8, 1997).

It is Hogarth’ last graphic work, seven months before his death. Artistically a recourse to Salvator Rosa the title is based on Pope’s poetical counterpart “Peri Bathous” as itself “a parody of Longinus’ ‘Peri Hypsous’”.

The scenery itself of an unheard of radicalism. Since also and especially those attributes otherwise signalling the ending of the times are affected by the ruin: Scythe and hourglass are broken here as are crown, pipe, palette, bottle, bell, the pub “The Worlds End” with the burning globe as its plate, the church as several other symbols of Vanitas. The clock lost its hands, the trees are as dead as the hanged man – and Phoebus in the burning sky waggon together with his horses tumbling down to the bottomless abyss. Finally Saturn himself as god of the time – the winged death – as of the wealth founded by agriculture breathes his last “Finis” while his last will – witnessed by the three Fates Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos – slips from his hand: All and every Atom there of to Chaos. Shortly “H. Nature Bankrupt”.

With the exception of the man in the thin crescent of the decreasing moon who still seems to be alive a bit. As also the gallows are standing fast. To increase the bathos a few puns have been mixed in the whole mess: a cobler’s end and last resp., a rope’s end, and the candle’s end.

Wonderful, only a little later copy of glorious chiaroscuro and adequately broad margins and freshness of this print by Cook who “is also famous as engraver of Hogarth” (Thieme-Becker). As the only one of the posthumous editions he stuck to the original size. – With watermark “1811 W Balston”; comp. the double mark “J Whatman & W Balston 1813” Heawood 117. – In the right outer margin two small slight waterstreaks. The partial little foxing on the back visible in just two spots in the heaven’s part. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 7,545 / EUR  291. / Export price EUR  276. (c. US$ 438.) + shipping

– – – The Same in Hogarth’s own engraving. Inscribed: Design’d and Engrav’d by Wm. Hogarth. / Published according to Act of Parliamt. March 3^d. 1764, otherwise as above. 32.3 x 33.5 cm.

Nagler 56. – Extremely broad-margined impression from Hogarth’s original plate reworked about 1822 by James Heath (1757 London 1834, Royal engraver in London, “who early earned himself praise”, Nagler). “Even these prints became relatively rare today though” (Kunstgalerie Esslingen 1970). – Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4. ed., VIII, 625: “A beautiful edition”.
Offer no. 7,738 / EUR  176. (c. US$ 279.) + shipping

– – – The Same as engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840, engraver at the university there and friend of Gottfried August Bürger). (1794-1835.) Inscribed: W. Hogarth inv. / R. d sc f. 21.5 x 23.5 cm.

Early impression with distinct plate tone and extremely wide side margins. – Also the pure picture only. In view of the broad lower plate margin it seems the lower margin’s arrangement was intended though never done. Later the plate was trimmed below accordingly (comp. no. 12.144). Upper right in the plate “44”.

Riepenhausen’s  main  work  (“very valuable”, Nagler), partially even preferred to Hogarth’s own engravings.
Offer no. 7,740 / EUR  125. (c. US$ 198.) + shipping

– – – The Same as lithograph by C. F. Heintz. (1833-36.) Inscribed: 34. / Das Ende aller Dinge (The End of all Things) / lith. C. F. Heintz, otherwise as above. 20.5 x 20.7 cm.

Also the pure picture only, but with extensive subtext à la Lichtenberg in German: “… Only one thing held on – The gallows. It seems also the coming world cannot miss it, so it remains upright anyway …” – The really light foxing visible only against the light. – All in all good though not equally tinted impression.
Offer no. 14,087 / EUR  87. (c. US$ 138.) + shipping

“ Pursuant to your last kind e-mail, I am placing my personal check in the amount of US$ … in the mail today. When it arrive, please send the print … It has been a pleasure dealing with you ”

(Mr. + Mrs. R. G. S., October 30, 2002)