Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). In manus tuas com(m)endo Spiritum meum et hæc dicens expiravit. Luc. 23. The hour of Good Friday darkened by clouds of Christ at the cross before broadly situated Temple Mount with the Wailing Wall. Left of the cross John supporting the collapsing Mary, lying at the foot of it Magdalen. Mezzotint by Johann Jacob Ridinger (1736 Augsburg 1784). Inscribed: I. N. R. I. at the head of the cross / Ioh. Iacob Ridinger sculps. / I. El. Ridinger excud. Aug. Vind., otherwise as above. 63.3 x 45.1 cm.

Schwarz 1492 with ills. II, plate XLII; Wend, (Additions to the Definitive Catalogues of Prints), I/1 (1975), 155 (variant in writing); Faber-Castell 167.

Not in Thienemann (1856) , Stillfried (1876) , Weigel, Art Stock Catalogue, division I-XXVIII (1838/57; more than 1000 R. sheets of the etched/engraved work) , Silesian Ridinger Collection at Boerner (1885; “of greatest richness … many rarities”) , Coppenrath Collection (1889/90) , Reich auf Biehla Collection (1894; “Of all [R. collections on the market] since long time there is none standing comparison even approximately with the present one in respect of completeness and qualtiy … especially the rarities and undescribed sheets present in great number” , Helbing XXXIV (Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger, 1554 items, 1900) , Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940).

Fine black impression determined by contrast-rich chiaroscuro – marvelous the play of the light falling in from above – with typographic watermark (WANGEN?) with margins running around 1.5-2 cm wide, fox-spotted on three sides, though generally little perceptibly slightly spotted, and doubled. The previously smoothed out centerfold still slightly visible.

The extraordinarily  rare , large-sized  sheet

from the sequence of the nine crucifixions, besides the present one provable here only in the copy Schwarz (von Gutmann Collection, 1910, acquired by this, however, already 1903 not with the Horn Collection) as well as a variant sold here in the 90s. Accordingly then also Thienemann generally in already 1856 (!):

“ The  mezzotints  are  almost  not  available  in  the  trade  anymore

… all worked by and after Joh. El. Ridinger (are) that rare that they are to be found almost only in some public, grand print rooms. I have come across most of the described ones only in the famous print room at Dresden … ”

(pages VIII + 270).

A situation also possible new editions could change little as according to the expert Sandrart (1675) the technically conditioned extremely fast wearing off mezzotint plate only permits 50-60 good impressions.

(their collection underlay carton removed meanwhile). The scene itself finally

Offer no. 14,862 / EUR  1175. / Export price EUR  1116. (c. US$ 1630.) + shipping

„ Danke für den wunderbaren (Ridinger-)Scan … der meine Argumentation zur Verwechslung in der Staffierung der Porzellane dokumentarisch bestens belegt. Darf ich um Ihre Zustimmung bitten, ihn in meiner Arbeit zeigen zu dürfen? “

(Herr J. R., 7. Juni 2004)