The driver a monkey dressed as human. Etching. (1827/28.) Inscribed: Tho Landseer, otherwise as below. 16 x 20.1 cm.

Rümann, Das Illustrierte Buch des 19. Jahrhunderts, Leipsic 1930, pp. 99 ff.; Nagler 1; Thieme-Becker XXII, 305. – On especially wide-margined buff paper. – Almost only in the right white outer margin quite weak foxing. – With distich from Thomas Moore’s (1779-1852, “Ireland’s National Bard”) Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress published 1819 under the pseudonym By one of the Fancy:

(“The legally trained mind now and then impairing Moore’s lyric poetry celebrates its biggest triumphs in satiric, frequently political poems referring to current events” aimed especially at the Tories “with the caustic wit peculiar to him” [Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 4^th ed., XI, 1889, p. 787]. His Tom Crib’s … within the Moore volume V of the series British Satire 1785-1840 at Pickering & Chatta, London 2003.)

Fine impression on large paper from the famous set of the “Monkeyana”, one of the only few early and thus typical works by Landseer of in Germany after 180 years

“ That Thomas Landseer can be judged

only  by  such  illustrations

a little book with woodcuts proves which show next to nothing of his intellect ” .

Worked since 1827 the 25 etchings incl. title were published in numbers and with classical sub-texts at Moon, Boys & Graves in London till 1828 (The English Catalogue of Books: January to December) in three editions: standard edition in quarto, edition on larger paper in large quarto, edition with proofs in large quarto, too. Besides copies on mounted China.

Otherwise qualified by Rümann i. a.:

“ Much  more  important  was  Edwin’s  brother  Thomas  Landseer … in the 20s he distinguished himself by a series of 25 plates that were published 1828 under the title of ‘Monkeyana’ … Technically his etchings are masterly, not less

admirable  the  intellectual  grasp  of  the  theme .

With … sharp observation he transfers the plain life of his time to the monkey’s life. His sarcasm is biting, almost vicious. ”

And Stechow sovereignly sums up :

“ Monkeys  always  fascinated  artists ”

(Pieter Bruegel, Cologne 1977, page 76).

“ The monkey as the animal most similar to man plays an important rôle in art history since antiquity.

As  figura  diaboli ,

as  symbol  of  sin  and  the  fall  of  man ,

as  fool , as  figure  of  vanity

he appears in most varied context … (A)lso the usual religious reference in the interpretation of the monkey as

man  mixed  up  in  his  passion

for  profane  things … ”

(Hella Robels, Frans Snyders, Munich 1989, page 43).

Later Thomas Landseer rather devoted himself largely to the reproduction of the animal depictions by his brother Sir Edwin.
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(Weekly, Common, for the Royal Prussian Presidential Districts Aschersleben , Calbe , Mansfeld and the adjoining Ducal Anhalt. countries.) Vol. XXXI. Ed. by C(arl) F(riedrich) Haller. Aschersleben, Haller Brothers, 1849. Sm. 4to. 412 (of 422) pp. Marbled contemp. boards with red back-plate. Paled green edges.

The 1849 volume as due to the editorial contributions + letters to the editor still important for the

1848  March – Revolution

of this, though to be paid for, forerunner of the advertisement weeklies of today, here in the original Wednesday issue, which in respect of the good success had been complemented by a Saturday issue since fall 1848.
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Ten  Plates  Monkeys  or  Animals  yet  related  to  them …

Set of 10 plates. Etchings with engraving after copies at third-hand (i. a. after the London physician Sir Hans Sloane, 1660-1753) and drawings by himself. 31.6-32.2 x 21.1-21.7 cm.

Thienemann + Schwarz 541-550; Weigel 28 A/B; Schwerdt III, 141, f.; Ridinger Catalogue Darmstadt, 1999, III.14-III.16 with two ills. – Published without title with the “Designation to be  colored  and to follow Ridinger’s great work”,

for  the  1^st  edition  –  as  here  –  generally  only  black  impressions  stand .

Only later, so Thienemann continues, for the purpose of coloring the plates were “reduced, and included somewhat modified (also partly with respect to the text) with the colored plates”. This then certainly by the sons Martin Elias + Johann Jacob who concluded the “Colored Kingdom of the Animals” not completed by the father anymore about 1768. Nevertheless also of this 2^nd edition as separate, independent suite colored copies remained widely unknown and are not mentioned by Weigel either (28, A-E). Yet one and only one was sold here in 1972.

Present copy furnished with all characteristics of the first issue as described by Thienemann and Schwarz, but only partly corresponding in this connection with Weigel. Criteria for first impressions are for the latter the single-lined subtext in German-French as well as the missing “of the enclosing line at both sides and … the arched one at top. Originally these impressions seem to have been determined for the Original Animal Work.” The second impressions then were “furnished with the enclosing lines and modified subtexts as well as numbers”.

Analogous to Thienemann + Schwarz also here only plate 1 has a 3-lined subtext, plates 2-10 the single-lined one as a Weigel criterion for the first impressions. All plates with enclosing line + number as according to Weigel criteria of the second impressions. Since descriptions of other copies do not comment on this – only Schwerdt III, 141, f notes the numbering for his copy from the Earl of Fife collection – it therefore needs further comparing research in this case, too.

For the chronological sequence of the (colored) plates of the late years besides the variations already discussed above the present copy of the Monkeys also grants an interesting conclusion with respect to the paper. Aside from sheet 3 limited to just the lines as watermark all others bear, accompanied by known large coat-of-arms mark, the typographic WANGEN mark including “FAI” (known also “FIAT”) on preceding own line, with a lower “v” inside of the “A”. The paper itself in its weight varying from heavy to perceptibly lighter in the direction of the fine Dutch laid paper. Bearing in mind the remark Ridinger still himself made on the paper ( “because of the fine illumination done on Dutch paper as for this it is the most decent and best one” ) in the preface to the “Main Colors of the Horses” published 1770 posthumously, present Monkeys prove by the paper, too, as being the first in publication. For already here Ridinger visibly made every effort to get a paper as fine as possible as the WANGEN mill, however, obviously could produce up to a certain lightness only. So that for “Kingdom of Animals” and “Main Colors” he switched over to Dutch paper by C & I HONIG.

With gilt head edge suggesting the once belonging to an unmounted album, quality of impression and preservation are nearly best, with 43.5 x 29 cm the sheet size goes beyond that of the Earl of Fife with Schwerdt with just 41.5 x 28 cm. Thus 3.5-4 cm laterally, 3-5 above + 7-8 below. Only plate 1 with two longer backed margin tears, the upper one of which touching the white platemark, and slightly age-smudgy especially in the lower margin. Otherwise generally in the outmost lower margin and in the right lower corner slightly finger-stained. The heading of the 4^th plate “CEBVS” inclusive of, partly, lateral and top edge a little weak in print. Small brown spot in the branchwork of the 6^th plate.

The set – etched after supposedly Jakob Jele (southern Germany 2^nd h. of the 16^th century), Karl Wilhelm de Hamilton (Brussels 1668 – Augsburg 1754), Lazarus Röting (1549-1614), Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), London, as well as after own design – belongs to the rarest of the master’s. Through decades it was missing in the most comprehensive of current collections, which could add it only in recent years by the partial purchase here of the legendary Marjoribanks Folios of Baron von Gutmann. But also the only 7-sheet copy of the huge collection of counts Faber-Castell could not be completed until its dissolution in 1958. And already in the 1889 Coppenrath sale it was classified as “rare”. The “Barbate Long-tailed or Green Monkey” present there with the remainder of 67 (sic!) copies (nos. 1555/56), however! Of which already at Helbing in 1900 nothing more was to be found anymore! Not one single sheet figured in his 1554-lot Ridinger catalogue XXXIV of that year, and also the complete set in one single copy only. Both in general contrast to other suites and their plates.
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But  also  the  Fable  is  spiced  up  by  them

And  points  with  the  Fingers  at  him

The Mindless Age becomes Contemptuous by Childish Expression. Elected for his large beard by the animals

as  their  representative  the  billy-goat

behaves himself so foppish over this that he “provokes partly guffaw, partly annoyance. This the artist shows excellently. The badger is rolling with laughter, the stag, the horse, the fox laugh scornful, the tiger, the striated hyena, and the lynx

in  earnest  become  aware  of  the  foolishness  of  their  choice  and  revoke  it .

The monkey though points at him with his fingers” (Thienemann). – Th. 773. – Plate 9 of the set.
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Malicious Flattery is finally disclosed and defeated. Two dogs, a little monkey, tom-cat, and parrot populate the room of a rich idler. Then to the dismay of the others the tom-cat forgets himself and cajoles the plumage of the parrot. Later the tom-cat has to die. – Thienemann 776. – Plate 12 of the set.
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Splendour and Grandeur makes no one Brighter. A monkey poses as the throneworthy and stag, horse, billy-goat, bear, wolf, hare, Ridinger-hound, and other honest mammals are content with it. But the cunning fox lets the tom-cat become the seducer and the monkey “quite ridiculous to all”.

Thienemann 777. – Plate 13 of the set. – “… determined to crown a monkey who usurped the throne, adored himself with golden chain and splendid blankets … But the cunning fox foils the foolish undertaking by instructing the tom-cat to fetch a neat basket, filled with the most tempting fruit, and carry it to the steps of the throne. As soon as the … monkey catches sight (of these) he forgets himself (and) tumbles down … ”. Then thus. Then and in the naturally wise animal kingdom it therefore needed just a couple of fruit. These days, however, and, it is true, in the human field, even a scandalous sales tax raise is much clamored at first, but just in time for the day which flatly throne-savingly consensuated away.  “A  very  well-done  plate” vicar Thienemann judged 1856.
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What “ deserves  Reasonable  People’s  Contempt ”

Foolish Conceit about Foreign Beauties deserves reasonable People’s Contempt. Zebra, monkey, and parrot travel in a country of which they suppose that foreign things were highly estimated there. Accordingly they boast themselves in view of horse, cow, and sheep. And see themselves confronted with reasonable opinions. – Thienemann 783. – Plate 19 of the set, designated by Ridinger on occasion of the preparatory drawing (black chalk; Weigel, 1869, no. 384) as “Fabel 29.” – The third of the four rarest plates of the set worked by Martin Elias.
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“ this is to let you know that the book has arrived in excellent shape, and that I am delighted to have it ”

(Mr. P. M., April 30, 2003)