Ridinger, Johann Jacob (1736 Augsburg 1784). Saint Ambrose. Preciously dressed in full figure, sitting to the right with the head turned to the left, the left resting on an opened book. Laterally left angel with crosier + tiara. Closed folio at his feet. Mezzotint after Alessandro Marchesini (1664 Verona 1738, active in Verona, Venice, Padua). Inscribed: Marchesin pinxit a Venetia. / Ioh. Iacob Ridinger sc. / Ioh. El. Ridinger exc. A. V., otherwise in the upper cavity of the mussel-shaped cartouche S. | AMBROSIUS. 53.2 cm sheet height x 41.3 cm width platemark.

Schwarz 1532; Faber-Castell 171; Wend, (Additions to the Definitive Catalogues of Prints), I/1 (1975), 206.

Not in Thienemann (1856) , Stillfried (1876) , Weigel, Art Stock Catalogue, pts. I-XXVIII (1838/57) , Silesian Ridinger collection at Boerner XXXIX (1885) , Coppenrath Collection (1889 f.) , Reich auf Biehla (1894) , Helbing XXXIV (Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger; 1900) , Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940).

The  great  elegant  sujet  –

– in very fine impression of rich contrast with watermark WANGEN as standing for contemporary impressions, below, however, and parallel to the Hieronymus sheet, trimmed under loss of 3.8 cm within the inscription field with mussel-shaped cartouche reserved for entries of individual kind, though usually left empty in the preserved copies and here therefore obviously deemed dispensable for the picture, otherwise fine margin of 2-3 mm running around on three sides. In the subject itself – numbered in its right upper corner with red chalk pen “75” – some folds + little pleats. Some few marginal tears, the longest of which reaching 4 cm into the filling of the picture. Of the slight foxing spots at the back isolated ones showing through to the subject. Irrespective of this of definitely pleasing general impression, not least with respect to the rarity of these sheets as then already 1839 those by Ridinger after Marchesini remained unknown to Nagler (VIII, 304). Accordingly then Thienemann 1856 generally:

“ 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.

with a quite human charming sujet from the core of ecclesiastical history:

“ famous Doctor of the Church, born  about  340  at  Treves  as son of a Roman Prefectus Pretorio (Galliarum as one ‘of the highest of Roman public offices’), was administrator in Rome until the governorship of Upper Italy was conferred on him. Though not yet baptized he had to accept the election for bishop of Milan in 374 … his differentiation of the general and the perfect duties, among which he e.g. reckoned celibacy, is of influence … by his choral poetry he became

the  father  of  Latin  hymnology .”

(Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 4^th ed., I (1889), 449 f.).

Died April 4, 397, and – so the Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (Bautz Verlag, 2002, with besides “about 333, probably also only 340”, another source deems 339 as possible, as year of birth) continuing –

descending from one “of the oldest noble families of Rome”.

Offer no. 14,867 / EUR  685. / Export price EUR  651. (c. US$ 1030.) + shipping

„ im Internet habe ich in Ihrem Katalog das vorgenannte Werkverzeichnis … gefunden …

Mit Interesse habe ich auch Ihren offenen Brief an die Herausgeber der Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 24.7.2003 gelesen, zumal ich (bei früherer Gelegenheit) … mir … von der Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung den Vorwurf des ‚Kulturglobalisten‘ gefallen lassen mußte … “

(Herr A. G., 8. Dezember 2003)

The  Cream  of  the  Day