With  the  Eagle  as  Revelation  of  Creation

Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). S. John. The evangelist in plate-filling figure before heroic landscape, looking up to the right, pointing with the left at the book both held by the right and supported on a boulder, to the right at his feet the eagle as the belonging to cherub symbol. Mezzotint. Inscribed: Iohann Elias Ridinger sculps. et excud. Aug. Vind., otherwise in German as above. 51 x 37.5 cm.

Thienemann + Schwarz 1264; Counts Faber-Castell (1958) 106. – Not in Weigel, Art Stock Catalogue 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).

before  the more elliptic gloriole and the “No. 15” below of the title as marks of the reworked plate (Schwarz 1264a) in very fine impression of shining chiaroscuro.

The final sheet of the completely extremely rare 4-sheet set of the evangelists of which also Faber-Castell had but 3 sheets, and count Radulf only 2 sheets (his S. Matthew here available). – With partially slightly (at the back somewhat more) stained margins of 5 (below) up to 10 mm round about, in this upper right written “40” in brown ink. – Smoothed horizontal center fold and vertical trace of glue, both visible at the back only. Isolated pin(head)-fine tiny holes in the margin parts, only one left of the head perceptible as a little larger.

THE  FINE  MOTIF  with the eagle represented in active great side pose as one of the four (Ezekiel) cherubim as

“ In the bible the cherubim appear as guardians of the paradise after the fall of man … while … in Christian art (they) develop to attributes of the four evangelists ”

(Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., III, 999/2).

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 … ”

Offer no. 14,957 / EUR  730. / Export price EUR  694. (c. US$ 1120.) + shipping

“ Received the Heron Hawking today, it is exceptionally nice. Thank you for packing so carefully … ”

(Mr. L. A. F., December 6, 2005)