Good  Sport

“ … at all imaginable times , from Sumer and Akkad and Assyria, and the first Egyptian empire on to the unfinished hour just passing away there were always people , many individuals of most different social status , having given up themselves to hunting …

What  a  Devilish  Occupation  Hunting  actually  is? “

(Ortega y Gasset, Meditations on the Hunt, Stuttgart 1981, p. 9)

252 x 188 mm. – On strong Jean Villedary laid paper (“IV ILLEDARY”), the paper mill in Angoulême prospering for 150 years as at the same time partner of Dutch mills where his IV/I V for instances appears as countermark to C & I HONIG (1730-1869; in Augsburg estimated by both Rugendas and Ridinger), but generally also abused as pirated mark like others standing for first qualities, too.

The in every detail typical signature probably somewhat paled, at the back below not shining through into the subject the diagonally set S-sequence of a child’s printing set with touch of an attempt of cure, otherwise perfectly fresh and mounted at the edges onto a cutout.

so Gode Krämer in the 1998 Augsburg Rugendas catalog (p. 45/II) on occasion of other works of the younger Georg Philipp, motif-beautiful work, sensitively executed and with dainty wash, as representing the best of his drawings. “His strength lies in the careful, picturewise execution” (Krämer, op. cit., 46/I). Usually he worked after fatherly designs and those of third parties, especially also after Johann Heinrich Roos.

Present work seems to be based on a fatherly idea. So by the Brazilian Johann Moriz Rugendas (1802-1858) as the last one of the painter dynasty there exists a youthful detail lithograph “Killed Game” (cat. Augsburg 259 with ills.) with the source inscription “G. P. Rugendas 1709”. Its upper half shows a roe lying diagonally across a boar, both laid against the trunk of a tree, at what the present composition with boar/hare reminds. That model drawing, however, is “neither signed nor dated, so that the inscription of the lithograph must be based on family tradition”.

Present left-sided boulder-tree accessories in their turn refer to the left-sided part of the 1724 drawing in his own hand of a stag hunt executed in the same technique (no. 159 of the catalog with ills.). In the printed œuvre we encounter it on the right side in the mezzotint Teuscher 362 with the bull held down by two hounds of the 4-sheet set “Hunt and Killed Game”, likewise with hilly light background, while for the two boar hounds the one of T. 472 of a 4-sheet set of hounds could be referred to. As a whole though neither thought stag hunt nor present drawing find any correspondence in the own engraved work nor in that of the family. It’s a work sui  generis. Motifs with the hunter and his hunting luck are generally rare. Here then as the sole content of the subject. From famous stable.

Without glass + frame .
Offer no. 15,182  /  price on request

438-440 x 336 (subject size 426-429 x 336) mm. The

painterly  preparatory  drawing

in reverse furnished with marks of trace and, at the back, red chalk to sheet 1 – Thienemann 105, illustrated in Blüchel, Die Jagd, II, p. 79 – of the “Four Seasons of the Hounds” (“Especially excellent are the sheets with the hounds … “, Nagler) supposed for the early 40s.

On strong, but not heavy laid paper with watermark “IV” (Jean Villedary?, paper mill in Angoulême prospering for 150 years as together associate for Dutch mills, where his IV/I V e.g. appears as counter-mark to C & I HONIG, but generally was also abused as pirated mark like other marks, too, standing for first qualities. We find the “IV” as a contemporary mark in the graphic Ridinger œuvre in many cases, among the drawings e.g. on his 1723 signed one “Alexander the Great 326 at the Hyphasis in India” present here and as monogram “I V” on the 1762 drawing “Wild Ducks stalked by Wild Cats” in Augsburg (Biedermann, Master Drawings of German Baroque, 1987, no. 165). And Villedary’s complete mark “IV ILLEDARY” on the 1736 Good Sport drawing by the younger Georg Philipp Rugendas offered above.

Of best condition except for a pinhead-small hole and, predominantly at the back, seven marginal traces of former mounting in spots on a sheet removed only by now (on this by old hand in italics as inscription in the center “Coursing” and on the right “Ridinger”). In the center of the narrow white subfield of the drawing itself a “20.” in pencil as supposed inventory number of a former owner and therefore mark of origin of a more comprehensive collection of drawings.

Contrary to the etching the pack leader’s tip of the tail a little less formed and the waterhound’s left foreleg concealed under the belly.

To the complex of the hounds’ Four Seasons Thienemann (1856, portfolio 2, e, page 275) was only acquainted with the likewise washed drawing of the Summer sheet (Th. 106) from the Weigel stock, which is, however, not anymore in Weigel’s Catalogue of the Bequeathed Drawings and Prints of 1869 (see there pp. 197 ff.). Then there was, also to the Summer sheet, the likewise large-sized and washed skeleton study to its stag in the “Fine Collection of Drawings and Engravings of Joh. Elias Ridinger from the Possession of a Wellknown Collector” sold by Wawra in Vienna in 1890 (no. 67). And 1900 in Helbing’s huge Ridinger catalogue (Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger, XXXIV, 1547) the “brilliant pen and ink drawing in outline” of the same size to the Fall sheet. Here finally known, too, the equally large one of Winter. And the

Extraordinarily charming finally the duplication of the master’s working process on the transfer to the copper plate in the form of the already mentioned red chalking and tracing, the latter down to sub-parts as not used generally. By this, however, allowing the that wanted, as famous as precious “view over the shoulder”.

Without glass + frame .
Offer no. 28,878  /  price on request

Jan Weenix (1640 Amsterdam 1719). Lithograph printed with grey tone plate by Johann Woelfle (Endersbach, Wurttemberg, 1807 – Fauerndau 1893) for Piloty & Loehle in Munich. C. 1851. 44.5 x 50.4 cm.

Comp. Nagler XI, Piloty, 312 ff., XXI, Weenix, 204 ff. + XXII, Wölfle, 24 ff. – Not in Schwerdt. – On mounted China. – The mounting card board slightly foxing on the back, only at the left side margin visible from the front. Otherwise impeccable.

Published within Piloty’s representation of the paintings in the Pinakothek at Munich, edited since 1834, since 1837 in connection with Loehle. „This project soon stirred up common interest as the participants … developed a technical perfection not reached till then“ and among them Woelfle’s main leaved, too :

“ Especially beautiful are the impressions on Chinese paper (as here) … already at Piloty’s lifetime Woelfle was one of the most excellent workers, and even today only few come near to him except for Hanfstängel ” (Nagler on Piloty and Wölfle).

The sujet here supposedly belonging to the cycle of paintings Weenix worked 1712-14 for Elector Johann Wilhelm of Palatinate for three halls of Bensberg Palace near Cologne, one of which dedicated to the hunt. Later the cycle was brought to Munich. – A lithographic masterwork reflecting the magic of the original.
Offer no. 12,260 / EUR  496. / Export price EUR  471. (c. US$ 760.) + shipping

Ernst Philipp Thoman(n) von Hagelstein (1657 Augsburg 1726). The Earth / La Terra. Mezzotint printed in brown. Inscribed: 4 / E. Ph: Thoman exc(.), quatrain in German as below. Subject size 36.2 x 48.5 cm.

THE FOUR ELEMENTS IV. – Only the title in German-Latin parallel text. – Trimmed to the edge of the image. Unobtrusive 3 x 1.5 cm tear-off in the left image margin added and redrawn, equally backed a tear-off at the lower right corner outside of the writing and tiny marginal tears. Some thin paper spots and pin-like fine holes, completely smoothened centre fold. The only quite slightly worn impression itself very beautiful. Not identified watermark.

“ On the back and plain earth , The stag lies there in its value. By the hunter it is gutted , The other meat one prepares for the banquet. ”

Offer no. 12,434 / EUR  1176. / Export price EUR  1117. (c. US$ 1803.) + shipping

Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Anno 1720. His Excellency the Count of Ohringen (Hohenlohe-Öhringen) himself has shot this entirely white fox close to Ohrenthal (near Öhringen on the Ohrn in the Ohrn district). Etching + engraving. (1750/53.) Inscribed: Joh. El. Ridinger Sculps. et excud. Aug. Vind., otherwise in German as above. 34.7 x 25 cm.

Thienemann + Schwarz 298; Ortega y Gasset, (Meditations on the Hunt), Stuttgart 1981, full-page ills. p. 65. – Sheet 56 of the “Wondrous Stags and other Animals”. – Lower and partly right outer margin barely disturbingly spotted.
Offer no. 12,073 / EUR  698. / Export price EUR  663. (c. US$ 1070.) + shipping

Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The Disemboweling of the Hare + Stag. Set of 2 sheet. Etching + engraving. Inscribed: J(oh). E(l). Ridinger inv. del. sc. et exc. A(ug). V(ind)., otherwise in German as below. 36.2 x 28.1 cm.

Th. + Schwarz (plt. I, VI f.) 99-100; Weigel XXVIII, Ridinger, 8 A; Nagler 41; Coppenrath Collection II, 1457 (“ Very rare ”, 1889!); Schwerdt III, 135; Ortega y Gasset, (Meditations on the Hunt), 1981, ills. pp. 87 + 73; Ridinger Catalogue Darmstadt, 1999, V.1 + 2 with illustrations.

For the preparatory drawing on the curée of the stag of 1758, now Bavarian private collection, see Schwerdt III, 215 with plate 251, qualified as “… quite apart from its artistic value an interesting document from a historical point of view” with the distinguishing result of illustration of both each in both Schwarz and Ortega, too. – Old, optically, however, a little dry impressions with typographic watermark and margins 1-1.5 cm wide.
Offer no. 14,661 / EUR  1485. / Export price EUR  1411. (c. US$ 2278.) + shipping

The  Set  that  raises  the  Pulse

Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The Four Seasons of the Hunter. 4 sheet. Etchings with engraving in oval with hatching of the corners by Martin Elias Ridinger (1730 Augsburg 1780). Inscribed: Joh. El. Ridinger inv. del. et exc. Aug. Vind. / Mart. Elias Ridinger sculps. (l. 3: sculpsit), otherwise in German with sheet title + quatrain in German-Latin parallel text. 37.3-37.5 x 27.5 cm.

+ XXVIII, Ridinger, 11 A; Coppenrath Collection II, 1459 („Fine set, rare“, 1889); Helbing XXXIV, 251; Schwerdt III, 136 (“An attractive set”); Rosenthal 126, 26 (sheet 4 only); Cat. Darmstadt, 1999, V.7 (sheet 1

only, with ills.). – Not in Nagler (1843) nor in Schoeller Collection (1921) + Catalogue Kielce (1997).

as the one quoted by Helbing one hundred years ago. With a sheet size of 50.7 x 35 cm (Schwerdt: 53.7 x 36 cm). – Sheets 1 + 3 with typographic watermark. – The technical pinholes in the upper white outer margin closed.

“ Month and seasons of the year sets were usual since the 16^th century. Also the connection of seasons with the periods of life were present since that time. Usually spring, summer and autumn are represented as rising development – from the bud to ripeness – , winter, however, as a period of decline. With depictions of life the winter corresponds to an old man. By the selection of the respective texts in his set of the Seasons of the Hunter Ridinger, however, gives a new interpretation to winter being productive for the hunt:

While in spring the hunter is ‘merry and industrious’, in summer ‘vigilant and determined’ and in autumn ‘courageous and brave’, the attributes

‘ persistent  and  bold ‘

befit the hunter in winter. L. H. Niemeyer recently pointed out this peculiarity in a lecture ”

(Dr. Morét in Catalogue Darmstadt).

Correspondingly the winterly bag! And bear, wolf, lynx, and wild boar, full of anger noisily rages roars

“ it’s  his  boldness’  joy ”.

The oude man once turning his back to life here now in the fullness of his hunting. As an allegory of unbroken activity, perseverance and boldness. The passionate boldness as zenith, as the quintessence of what only results from skill and experience of a rich, here hunter’s life.

Known of sheet III a sidecorrect copy of about the same size, but without the subtext, from the early days of the wood engraving by Alexander Anderson (NYC 1775 – Jersey City/N 1870, “Father of the Wood Engraving”, AKL II, 853 f.) mentioned by literature as “Returning from the Boar Hunt”. See Jane R. Pomeroy, Alexander Anderson / Wood Engraver and Illustrator / An annotated Biography, 3 vols., 2005, no. 587 with ills. (“masterly, probably ca. 1820 or before” with incorrectly “Ridinger pinx”).

With intervals of 13 an 14 years resp. the set is available here apart now for the third time. On which occasion it should be noted in view of their being transferred to copper by Johann Elias’ eldest, Martin Elias, that his bearing for the Ridinger oeuvre goes noticeably beyond a just engaged co-working as engraver not only according to findings here. Already as 30-years-old he almost acted as a spiritus rector behind the scene. Who ensured that sets were not stopped prematurely or published posthumously. And as Wolf Stubbe (Joh. El. Ridinger, Hamburg/Berlin 1966, pp. 16 f. + plt. 34), going into medias res, praises Th. 722, The Wild Bison and the Crocodile, from the Fights of Killing Animals in regard of the treatment of light as an artistic zenith of the late work he also pays, since judging on the basis of its engraving, not the drawing, reverence to Martin Elias as the etcher/engraver of that work. An aspect that increasingly elucidates the co-operation of the Ridingers and underscores the quality of the present set on its technical side, too.
Offer no. 14,657  /  price on request

(Siebert-Weitz, [Pictures to the Hunt in Hesse-Darmstadt], 1999, pp. 28-31), forming a pair within the Ridinger set of the “Wondrous” as then also his works of the suite “To the Special Events and Incidents at the Hunt” are “arranged almost throughout so that always two by two correspond with each other and form pendants, just as they have been sold in pairs, too” (Th. p. 81).

Sheet 57 + 58 (Th. + Schwarz 299-300; Ridinger Catalogue Darmstadt, 1999, VI.3 with illustrations as then each full-sized ones in Siebert-Weitz, too.

This Stag of 28 Points has been shot by His Highness the ruling landgrave – Louis VIII – at Hesse-Darmstadt near Battenberg in the forest of the same name on October 10, 1742. Etching with engraving. Inscribed: Joh. El. Ridinger del. sculps. et exc. Aug. Vind. 1753, otherwise in German as above.

“ Presented  is  an  already  perished  red  stag …

A  so-called  leader  stands  over  the  stag .

Its lead is to be seen clearly in the image. By it the hound has been bound on the right below. In the middle right one sees a barrel with sling belonging to a flint-lock gun, whose trigger guard is recognizable, but its flint is hidden by a stone. At the barrel to see also the ramrod. It  can  be  assumed  that  the  landgrave  has  finished  the  stag  with  this  gun ”

(Siebert-Weitz).

“ The  creation  of  the  picture  by  Ridinger , who  presents  the  perished  stag

in  a  way  that  his  extraordinary  antlers  can  be  studied  in  detail  by  the  beholder ,

is  artistically  far  superior

to the somewhat formal reproduction of the same stag by Johann Georg Stockmar. Presumably Ridinger has used a drawing after the trophy sent to him from Darmstadt to depict the antlers as in the case of The Stag with the Three Beams, too ”

(Morét in Catalogue Darmstadt).

This Snub=Eared Main Boar with cut Tail which on the left had the large Tusk broken off and on the right the Tusks grown crosswise His Princely Highness the ruling Landgrave Louis (VIII) of Hesse-Darmstadt has cut the ears with high hand himself 12. years ago and in the 1749^th year January 18 wounded in the Forest of  Bessum  (south of Darmstadt) and ditto 30^th even shot in the  All  Saints  Forest (north of D.). Etching with engraving. Inscribed: J. E. Ridinger del. sculps. et excud. A. V. 1753., otherwise in German as before.

(Siebert-Weitz).

“ Contrary to most other hunting successes of Louis VIII published by Ridinger there has not been preserved any further evidence to this sheet of the series in the Kranichstein collection ” (Morét).

Quotable, however, the pen-and-ink drawing „A Dead Wild Boar on which a gun lies, besides on the earth raising a sitting hound, leaning to one of the trunks, who guards it“ as lot 99 of “Johann Elias Ridinger’s Art Estate in Drawings” within Weigel’s catalogue of drawings of 1869. Here though without gun and freely sitting male dog.
Ref. no. 15,219 / in stock – not catalogued / request description & offer

Joseph Georg Wintter (1751 Munich 1789). 4 sheets on 2. Etchings. (1777.) Plate 3 inscribed: Wintter ex Monachi. 10.3-10.6 x 12.7-12.8 cm. – Niemeyer 15-18, II; Nagler 10, 1-4.

in wide-margined impressions on buff paper from the comprehensive 44-sheet Augsburg edition Schwerdt III, 190, a ( “Rare” ) of earliest 1821. The wonderful quality of its impressions discloses the small editions and caused Schwerdt, not knowing the chronological factor, to assume proofs before the letter in many cases. But already on occasion of the otherwise not proven 137-sheet edition Weigel 21336 stated in 1857: “Most sheets very rare”.

His “etchings are fine and stand in their execution between those by Hollar and Riedinger. In 1784 W. became electoral Court and Hunting Engraver” (Nagler in vol. III, no. 68, of his Dictionary of Monogramists of 1863 and on his part additionally referring to the rarity of these fine plates). – Light marginal foxing.
Offer no. 14,143 / EUR  420. / Export price EUR  399. (c. US$ 644.) + shipping

George Morland (1763 London 1804). Inside of a Country Ale House. Mezzotint printed in colours by William Ward I (1766 London 1826). 1797. Leafsize 44.5 x 54.9 cm.

Richardson p. 153; Collection of Morland prints in the British Museum section 2, portfolio VIII, 32 ( “fine” ); Mellon, Prints, 24. – Not in the Ward list of Nagler.

Trimmed within the broad white plate margin. – Printed from the already used plate as has to be accepted mostly because of the delicate mezzotint plate allowing little editions of about 50-60 copies only. – Upper and left margin with mounting strip of former framing.

The  works  by  William  Ward  (“one of the best English mezzotint engravers”, Maedebach 1975 in Cat. 5 of the collections of the Veste Coburg) are distinguished by a special truth to nature. Completely under the influence of his brother-in-law Morland they became his best plates. And among these especially those of the graceful pastoral scenes.
Offer no. 10,922 / EUR  445. / Export price EUR  423. (c. US$ 683.) + shipping

Wood engraving by Jules Huyot (Toulouse 1841 – Paris after 1885) after T. E. Lory. (1873.) Inscribed: T E Lory / Huyot, otherwise in German as above 14.2 x 21.2 cm.
Offer no. 11,180 / EUR  69. (c. US$ 111.) + shipping

293-300 x 260 mm. – With one additional bird to

Th. 273 of the same year – Sheet 31 of the “Wondrous Stags and other Animals” – and by this comments in the trailer to the group of (predatory) birds, 755-758 + 759-762, of 1763 and 1749 resp. as following :

“ They look like eagles though Ridinger does not characterizes them as just those, but it cannot be determined to which kind they belong. ”

How  strongly  this  theme  occupied  Ridinger

the block of 17 (!) not etched works to 755-762 illustrates, documented by Thienemann under VI, z + aa (p. 278). Contrary to this he has not become aware of a preparatory drawing of the motif 273 here of 1744 worked beforehand for the set of the “Presentation of the Wondrous Stags and other Animals” (since 1735 at the latest, concluded 1768) (see III, n, p. 276, so that in regard of this XII, 15, p. 284, with their i. a. “eight leaves several birds, in scenic environments, or single, also groups” cannot be relied on neither. This further block nevertheless again evidence of the intensity of occupation with this theme valued by literature only marginally hitherto).

Also the 95-sheet corpus of drawings from Faber-Castell of 1958 unearthed nothing to Th. 273 among the 80 drawings belonging to Johann Elias. Outside of this nevertheless the same year an uninscribed pencil drawing reached the market as preparatory drawing. Decades later then in 1996 an accurately repeated drawing in reverse of 1750 marked besides the signature as „retouched“ appeared (pencil with black chalk and pen-and-ink retouching and border line, watermarked “VI”) after already in 1993 a six-eagles-drawing from 1750 (brush, pencil + pen) was on the market. All these works just like the one here of the picture size of the etching.

Accordingly the rank of the work here based on especially two facts :

For once to present knowledge here it is of at most two preparations

the  only  one  to  Th. 273  signed  +  dated !

Then, and this makes for its quite special collectible charm,

it  deviates  evidently  from  the  final  product  of  the  same  year !

The master was still undecided about himself! – See the two works of 1741 with eagle owl, falcon + heron in Weigel, (Catalogue of a Collection of Original Drawings), 1869, Ridinger appendix Nos. 354/55, the latter of these as “Black chalk wiped under, sm. fol.”, with the remark

“ belong  to  a  set  among  the  eagles ”

by which Ridinger just has grappled with remarkably intensively.

On chamois laid paper as the preparatiory drawing to the 20^th fable of those year sold here a couple of years ago, too, here with watermark Large Fleur-de-lis over Strasbourg coat of arms. The signature below of the border line accompynied by a fine margin cut free as not unusual for Ridinger. A few almost not perceptible brown stipples, otherwise very well.
Offer no. 28,484  /  price on request

„ das ‚Haupt-Schwein‘ ist gut … angekommen und gefällt … falls sich weitere Funde … auftun, freue ich mich über Ihre Nachricht “

(Herr W. S., 29. August 2002)