Ridinger’s Picture Unit of a Threefold Food Chain
Hare – Eagle – Wild Cat – Hunter
Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The poor hare in his last plight brings … Hare stricken by the eagle whom the wild cat bites through the throttle, itself shot by the huntsman. Inclusive of any pre-prey. Etching + engraving by Martin Elias Ridinger (1730 Augsburg 1780). Inscribed: V. / Joh. El. Ridinger inv. et del. / Mart. El. Ridinger Sculps. Aug. Vind., otherwise in German as before. 35.3 x 25.8 cm.
Thienemann + Schwarz 348; Reich auf Biehla Collection 95 ( “Rare”, 1894! ). – Missing in the 1885 Silesian Ridinger collection at Boerner XXXIX and in Helbing’s 43-sheet stock of the set (cat. XXXIV, Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger, 1900, 1554 nos.) it was represented in just one and only relatively fine copy (no. 862). – With 6 lines subtext.
Sheet V of the 46-sheet set “To the Special Events and Incidents at the Hunt” (“The rarest set of Ridinger’s sporting line engravings”, Schwerdt 1928 ) etched exclusively by Martin Elias after predominantly fatherly designs and concluded posthumously in 1779. At which not only after realization here Martin Elias’ importance for the Ridinger œuvre is much larger than that of an engaged co-worker as engraver only. Already at an age of thirty he just acted as a spiritus rector behind the backstage ensuring that sets were completed or, as here, edited posthumously.
And as Wolf Stubbe (Joh. El. Ridinger, 1966, pp. 16 f. + pl. 34), going in medias res, celebrates Th. 722, The Wild Bison and the Crocodile, from the Fights of Killing Animals as an artistic zenith of the late work in respect of its luminous efficiency, he pays tribute together, because judging by the plate, not the drawing, to Martin Elias as the etcher/engraver of that work. An aspect illustrating deeply the Ridinger team-work.
The set itself “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” (Thienemann). Belonging to here sheet VI showing a couple of stags struck by lightning.
Fine warm-toned impression of the first edition
with the Roman number
(“If they are missing, so this points to later impressions”, Thienemann). And
“ Both the two pieces belonging together are well done . ”
Rounded at top. – With typographic watermark. – Margins 0.9 (right) to 3.1 cm wide that is quite little age-spotted below. Likewise weak water streak in the upper white plate and paper-margin.
Offer no. 14,122 / EUR 706. / export price EUR 671. (c. US$ 944.) + shipping
Der hiesige Weihnachts-/Neujahrsgruß 2005 endete mit „In diesem Sinne recht schöne Weihnachtstage voll Harmonie und sammlungszugewandter Muße … “ , letzterer Wunsch in einer Grußerwiederung aufgegriffen wurde mit den Worten
„ das Gutwort des Jahres – sammlungszugewandte Muße – wunderbar, hab einigen LBA/Goethefreunden dieses Gutwort genannt. Sie haben in einer verwahrlosten Zeit ein ‚linguistisches Gespür’! “
(Herr R. K., 5. Januar 2006)