The  Wonderful  Sheet  of  a  Wonderful  Painting

Weenix, Jan (1644 Amsterdam 1719). (Bag of the Hunt.) Lying at front on the ground a swan, to the left hanging at a temple-like garden construction a red deer and a hare. Besides, partly hanging, partly lying, numerous further winged game, i. a. snipe, black cock, and thrush. Further bugle and game-bag, hood, gun, and yarns. The hunter himself sitting on the right on steps surrounded by three hounds, among them his quite personal one, that wonderful large with blaze, white breast and deep bushy lop-ears, reminding as well of the Large Münsterländer setter as the Suisse alpine hounds, as we find him e.g. on paintings in Leipsic (inv. no. 1617, Cat. of the Speck von Sternburg Collection, 1998, I/129 with ills.) or Pe-tersburg (inv. no. 2785, Kusnezow, 1983, no. 274 with color plate), too, but also on a further one in Munich (inv. no. 246, Bernt, 1970, no. 1375 with ills.). In the far distance view on gardens and palace (Bensberg near Cologne as it presented itself once?) 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.

" One finds ... especially hunting pieces painted by him. In the depiction of living and dead animals he reached the peak of art. His dead fowl is painted as true and masterly as his living winged game. The fair game appear in life and in death in unsurpassed truth. But Weenix also drew the human figure correctly in any position, without affectation, just as he found it in life ... and every stroke of the brush discloses the brilliant and skilled master. "

The representation here in any regard corresponding to the original as already Nagler attests especially to the later issues of Piloty's gallery work:

" Finally one was able to give true and complete reproductions of the original paintings in which all difficulties of the technique (had been) overcome to fathom the mind and the character of the original all the better . "

And therefore

Offer no. 12,260 / EUR  496. / export price EUR  471. (c. US$ 610.) + shipping

„ Vielen Dank für Alles, liebe Grüße und schönes Wochenende von der Mosel Herzlichst “

(Frau A. B., 4. April 2003)

The  Cream  of  the  Day