Tempesta, Antonio (Florence 1555 – Rome 1630). Hunt of Natives with Bow + Arrow and pikes, on foot and on horseback, on a free place framed by palms and deciduous trees for two fleeing pieces of a here not identifiable middle-sized robust crustacean. The one of them in front looking fearlessly, however, at the mounted hunter just aiming his bow. Beyond a valley prominent mountain scenery. Etching by Egbert Jansz (end of 16th century)? 9.8 x 14 cm.
From the collection EK (not in Lugt) with its round stamp on the back, almost identical with the mark CK (L. 583) of the Carl König Collection, Vienna, known for paintings, drawings, and objects d’art. – No. 14 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 of which the one here differs however. 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.
Highly instructive and also painterly sheet
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. 28,575 / EUR 99. (c. US$ 139.) + shipping
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(Mr. U. S., 23. Januar 2002)