The Stings raised , then advance against the Zeitgeist
Ridinger’s Intimate Celebration of Family
in two Large Pendants
Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Mary with the Child. – Joseph with the Child. Each in half-length figure in large oval medallion, fit into the subject though not drawn throughout, with the nestling child in the arms. In clouds above both couple of angel heads, Mary irradiated by 7 stars, Joseph with elliptic gloriole and lily stalk. Below of the medallions slightly varied large mussel-shaped cartouche in likewise empty text field. Mezzotints. 55.4 x 39 and 56.3 x 38.9 cm resp.
Provenance
Counts Faber-Castell
their Ridinger sale 1958
with its lot nos. 137 + 138
on the underlay cartons
Radulf Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen
(1922-2004)
Thienemann-Stillfried (1876; pendants, 56 x 39 cm) + Schwarz (56 x 38.1 cm) 1412/13; Silesian Ridinger collection at Boerner XXXIX, 2027/28 ( “Extremely rare”. 1885 ! ); Reich auf Biehla 291/92 ( “Very rare”, 1894 ); Counts Faber-Castell (1958) 137/38; Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940), 431/32.
Not in Thienemann (1856) , Weigel, Art Stock Catalogue I-XXVIII (1838/57) , Coppenrath Collection (1889 f.) , Gg. Hamminger (1895) , Helbing XXXIV (Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger; 1900) .
The great pendants of intimate familiarity & security ,
with so far no inscription known, thereby the former with margins 1.5-4 cm wide with watermark WANGEN as standing for contemporary impressions, the latter, equal in quality, supposedly the same, as trimmed to subject and mounted not to be verified though.
Of proven rarity as generally preprogrammed for according to expert Sandrart (1675) the technically conditioned extremely fast wearing off mezzotint plate permits 50-60 good impressions only.
Correspondingly already in 1856 Thienemann, pages VIII + 270 :
“ 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 … ”
Not even there then the present two as remained unknown to Thienemann.
Offer no. 14,871 / EUR 1980. / export price EUR 1881. (c. US$ 2562.) + shipping
“ The prints arrived today! They are very nice. Thank you for excellent service. Please keep me posted for objects I could be interested in! ”
(Mr. J. R. L., September 12, 2003)