Tempesta, Antonio (Florence 1555 – Rome 1630). Fiestas de Toros. The stations of the bull-fight in the arena as instructive didactic piece. In front as left-sided main group a bull with richly decorated banderilla in the back attacked by a lancer, separated by a barrel from the espada swinging for the coup-de-grâce. Right beside a done torero. Staggered up to the densely populated grand-stand further lancers and two bulls, the foremost kept at distance by the swinging espada by a two-wheeled axle, while a banderillero swings a second baton. The back one, outright bristling with banderillas, one burning, chasing three lancers, one of them still aiming at him. Left of this as centre piece richly figured vehicle, camouflaged with head mask with banderillas in the eyes, additionally burning ones in the side holes. Laterally left set back a phalanx of further lancers + toreros. Etching by Egbert Jansz (end of 16^th century)? 9.8 x 14 cm.

From the collection EK (not in Lugt) with its round stamp on the back, nearly identical with the mark CK (L. 583) of the Carl König Collection, Vienna, known for paintings, drawings, and objects d’art. – No. 13 of the 18-sheet collection with repeated numbers by a contemporary, presumably Netherlandish copyist available here with provenance EK on uniformly fine, wide-margined laid paper, partly with watermark Amsterdam coat-of-arms flanked on one side by lion. Below overwhelmingly with wide white platemark with just the number at the right, what points to early impressions  before  the letter. In the case here though with just narrow margin and the number immediately in the image itself lower right.

of chronologically at least great nearness to the culmination of bull-fighting under Philipp IV (1605-1665, accession to the throne 1621; his Velásquez portrait in steel engraving available here per 14,313).

Worked after one of the numerous Tempesta sets, e. g. the equal-sized Primo libro di Caccie varie (“This set was nicely copied, too”, Nagler), the collector’s reference to the first/second of the totally four Christoffel van Sichems (ca. 1546-1624 and ca. 1581 – before 1658 resp.) under providential inclusion of the contemporary Karel, too, seems not plausible based on the knowledge of their work here. More interesting in this regard should be Egbert Jansz, little known in his living conditions, of whom de Brys in Frankfort/Main published a collection “Icones Venantum Species Varias … per Antonium Tempestinum” in 1598 which Schwerdt I, 266 lists with 11 sheets, Thieme-Becker with 12 and Wurzbach with only 6 sheets. Not impossible that there are even more. These with 12 x 17 cm somewhat larger, however, and without numbering. Otherwise Schwerdt: Egbert Jansz was perhaps the best of those engravers who reproduced these and similar hunting scenes by Tempesta.
Offer no. 28,561 / EUR  575. / Export price EUR  546. (c. US$ 827.) + shipping

„ Just received the James Figg item safely today. I have a couple questions. Art in general is new to me so I‘m asking you to educate me on this item … First of all I‘m happy with the item, just trying to understand it better … Thanks again “

(Mr. A. C., March 27, 2008)