Variant of Schwarz 1507
not known to Literature
as moreover
Proof before all Letters
– The Copy Counts Faber-Castell –
Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Saint Mary Magdalen in Penitence. Half-length portrait sitting to the right at a boulder overgrown with flowers, the head turned to the upper left supported by the left while the right rests on a chalice standing on a slab together with death’s-head enclosed by a chain. To the left fine view at distant clouds. Above, coming from the upper edge of the picture filling, comet-like beam of light. Below broad field with center cartouche for entries of individual kind, both left empty as the norm with the preserved copies, but also without the name of the saint usually set into the latter. Mezzotint. 51.6 x 42.4 cm.
Provenance
Counts Faber-Castell
their Ridinger sale 1958
with its lot no. 168
on the underlay carton
Radulf Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen
(1922-2004)
Compare Schwarz 1507 (51.2 x 38.6 cm; inscribed Ioh. Elias Ridinger exc.: Aug. Vind., with two soaring angel heads upper left in the clouds) as reduced repetition of Schwarz 1506 (66.5 x 48.8 cm; inscribed as before, but instead of the “exc.” “invent. et delin.” and without the angel heads); Wend, (Additions to the Definitive Catalogues of Prints), I/1 (1975), 192 (Schw. 1507); Faber-Castell 115 (negligently as Schwarz 1506!).
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) , Gg. Hamminger (1895) , Helbing XXXIV (Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger, 1900) , Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940).
Undescribed variant
to Schwarz 1507 + 1506
in proof before all letters
with the far more expressive beam of light instead of the informal usual puttos which furthermore is not, as the latter, set into the clouds, rather emanates from the utterly broad-flatted black devoid of contours above of them. Being 3.8 cm wider than Schwarz 1507 and therefore beyond the tolerable of varying working of paper it must be proceeded from an independent version and not just from differing states of one and the same plate. Already Schwarz judged such a difference of dimensions accordingly as he questioned an identity of his Magdalen reading no. 1508 with the equal one of Th.-Stillfried 1421 not present to him for differing width (38.4 : 42 cm, thus similar here).
The rosy young woman
in contrast to death’s-head
and chain in the pictorial tradition of El Greco and Jusepe de Ribera and incomparably more charming than especially the sujet of Correggio’s reading Magdalen in idyllic landscape widely spread through steel engraving, but also over-excited other earlier depictions. That Ridinger used the death’s-head also in connection with the attribute of the book (said Schwarz 1508, Stillfried 1421) – just as his Italian contemporary Batoni, 1708-1787, but also already El Greco, 1541-1614 – follows with respect to his vanitates pervading the œuvre in manifold gradation without saying. But also picture-esthetically his present Magdalen with her elegantly draped bosom is a class of her own.
Marvelous impression of adequate preservation
with WANGEN watermark as standing for contemporary impressions with margins of 5-10 mm running around. Three differently long professionally smoothed out cross-folds no more perceptible from the front as a little restoring in height of the breast. Tiny rust spots in the sky part, three pinhead-small little holes right in the white paper (2) and image margin resp.
“ The mezzotints – Thienemann resumes –
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; negative report for present Magdalen motif of any kind then even there!).
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.
Offer no. 14,868 / EUR 1380. / export price EUR 1311. (c. US$ 1784.) + shipping
“ Pursuant to your last kind e-mail, I am placing my personal check in the amount of US$ … in the mail today. When it arrive, please send the print … It has been a pleasure dealing with you ”
(Mr. + Mrs. R. G. S., October 30, 2002)