With the “very rare” Pendant of the Casuar
Ostrich + Casuar contra Wolf/Fox + Lynx
Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Ostrich + Casuar on an elevated viewpoint of a sovereign landscape defending themselves against three wolves (recte more likely jackals as equally positioned in the tales as the foxes of the Bible, Thienemann, identified as foxes by Weigel, too, see below) + lynxes resp. of which one of the latters has been finished. 2 sheets. Etchings with engraving by Martin Elias Ridinger (1730 Augsburg 1780). Inscribed: XXVI./XXVII. / Joh. El. Ridinger inv. et del. / Mart. El. Ridinger, sculps. A.V. + 6-liner subtext. 30 x 24.7-24.9 cm.
Thienemann + Schwarz 369/70; Silesian Ridinger collection at Boerner XXXIX, 1879/80, the latter of them “Rare” (1885); Reich auf Biehla Collection 113/14, the latter of them in only “Newer impression” (1894).
The pair XXVI/XXVII – “if the numbers are missing later impressions will be by all known odds”, T. – of the extreme rare 46-sheet set “Special Events and Incidents at the Hunt” ( “The rarest set of Ridinger’s sporting line engravings”, Schwerdt III, 140; 1928 ) worked by Martin Elias after fatherly drawings – here such of 1764, see nos. 396+395 of the Ridinger appendix inside the 1869 Weigel catalogue of the left drawings – and completed posthumously in 1779.
“Arranged almost throughout in such a way that always two by two harmonize with each other as they had been sold also in pairs.” – In each case one sheet was missing in the Schwerdt copy and in Baron Gutmann’s (Schwarz) second (?) copy inside the Pompadour volumes sold here of his spectacular Marjoribank Folios. With his 1554-nos. Ridinger offer (cat. XXXIV) of 1900 Helbing could offer only 43 sheets and even 13 sheets were missing in the Coppenrath collection when it was sold in 1889/90. And the famous voluminous Ridinger collection of the counts of Faber-Castell had only three (!) when it was sold in 1958. Hereself five sheets are available at the moment!
Of quite especially rarity the Casuar-ostrich, Th. 370, of the pair offered here valued by Helbing in 1900 as additionally “very rare” with the same prize as the separate pair of the Wild Ducks Hard-Pressed by Wild Cats and Foxes, Th. 389/90 missing also Faber-Castell, but in stock here (no. 13,006). – With typographic watermark. – With 1.4/2.3-3.4 cm margins for the sides and 5-6 cm above and below. Here as also in the white textfield a little dusty and a few weak small spots. Sheet 2 with a fold strip on the left side of the back.
Offer no. 14,123 / EUR 1380. / export price EUR 1311. (c. US$ 1836.) + shipping
“ Many thanks for your message. Thank you very much for sending the (Anthonie) Waterloo … I am grateful to you for the opportunity to buy the etching. It was interesting to learn about its provenance … The Waterloo etching arrived safely today, beautifully wrapped. Thank you very much indeed ”
(Mr. M. L., April 24 and 29 resp. and May 6, 2003)