Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The Fountains. Set of 4 sheet in engraving + etching. Inscribed: Ioh. Elias Ridinger excud. Aug. Vind., otherwise as following. 35.3 x 28.7 (1) and subject size 35.2-35.4 x 28.2-28.3 cm (3) resp.

Th. + Schwarz 878-881; Silesian. Ridinger Collection at Boerner XXXIX, 1953 (“Some a little damaged and spotted. Extremely rare sheets”, 1885); Reich auf Biehla Collection (“Extremely rare sheets , very fine impressions with wide margins”, 1894); Helbing XXXIV (Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger; 1900), 1482-1484 as Th. 878 (“with margin. The latter not flawless. Very rare.”) , Th. 879 (“without margin. Very rare.”) + Th. 881 (“with full margin, the latter not flawless. Extremely rare.”).

Not  in Weigel, Art Stock Catalogue I-XXVIII (1838/57) , Coppenrath Collection (1889 f.) , Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940) .

“ I would like to call the four sheet which have been published under the above title , but  now  have  become  very  rare , Mythological Pyramids. They origin from earlier (??) times … ”

(Thienemann,
with respect to Ridinger’s just “excudit” together adhering to the widespread assumption of “We therefore not even know for sure if and what part our master has with them” as refuted in conclusion here).

For with the discovery here of the autonomous work of the dome-like rising “Hippocrene”– published here in 16 copies on occasion of the 300^th birthday – as the Horse’s or Muse’s Fountain at the Parnas obviously rejected by Ridinger at the back of the original printing plate for the evening sheet of “The Deer’s Four Times of Day” as the latest the set of the Fountains has to be regarded as own invention. For although without any inscription of any sort the authenticity of the “Hippocrene” cannot be missed. Proceeding from their proximity to Watteau as inspiring Ridinger so manifold and by the selfidentification in the muse of painting leading directly to his personal book-plate.

“ On the top of a cone-shaped boulder Minerva sits, lance and shield in her hands, and looks down to Perseus gliding below of her, who, with the drawn sword in the right, the Medusa’s head in the left, is about to finish off the dragon writhing around the rock. This already covered with countless wounds spraying blood, but the true stream of blood, the fountain, comes from his jaws. Beside Perseus the fettered and now soon to be released Andromeda. ”

Three sides with 3-4, below 13 mm wide little margin around the full platemark. In this four backed tiny tears. Small slight yellow trace between Andromeda’s right arm and left leg.

“ On top of the rock cone a genius crowned with laurel, thus Victory, in the hand the laurel wrath for to decorate the head of Hercules resting below of her from his heroic deeds. Beside a female figure sitting rather indecently (that is bare-bosomed), on the head the glory by which victorious generals were decorated, and in the raised right one for Hercules. This supporting himself with the left on his club, with the foot on the bottom of the slain enemy lying together with several killed wild and tame animals around him. From overall of the boulder fountains come from which actually do not belong to the whole. ”

Trimmed inside of the platemark, but three sides with fine(st) margin around the edge of the subject, below with 1 cm below of the second line of text. – On the back left with three traces in points of previous mounting on blue paper, two small thin paper spots, one of which backed as well as likewise settled little tear.

“ On a boulder Hercules sits with the lion hide, on the other side Atlas kneels with the glory; they hold the celestial globe from which quite immense masses of water flow down. ”

Trimmed within the platemark, but three sides with mostly only finest margin around the edge of the subject, here and there also reaching immediately to this, below with 3-10 mm below of the second line of text. – On the back left with two traces in point of previous mounting on blue paper, and on the front a tiny paper scrape off at the subject edge.

“ In the center Apollo, as main figure, the right akimbo, in the left the bow without string by which he has killed the dragon Python on whose wings he stands, and from whose wounds fontains issue. Above Victoria with palm leaf and wreath for the victor, beside Cupid in poor figure. Below furthermore a river god from whose urn lot of water flows for it shall be fountains there. ”

Trimmed within the platemark, but on three sides with fine(est) margin around the edge of the image, below with 6-10 mm below of the second line of text. – On the back left with three traces in points of previous mounting on blue paper.

on slightly toned fine (3) and regular resp. laid paper with, however, even structuring

And  not  least  a  further  theme  showing  Ridinger  as  standing  in  great  artistic  tradition .

With its three famous examples from 1593 till 1602 in Augsburg itself, among them the Hercules Fountain by the great Adriaen de Vries basing on a preparatory drawing of Hans von Aachen).

Offer no. 14,873 / EUR  2000. / Export price EUR  1900. (c. US$ 3013.) + shipping

„ … Die (vom Schwiegervater geerbten Par force-Jagd) Ridinger … habe ich in meinem Arbeitszimmer bestens neben einem Gobelin plaziert und möchte sie nicht mehr verkaufen. Besten Dank und ein Kompliment an Ihr Haus, dass sie nach so vielen Jahren noch an mich gedacht haben “

(Herr K.-A. H., 2. Februar 2004)