Rarely in the Picture —
the Hunters’ Practical Know-how
Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The Disemboweling of Hare & Stag. Set of 2 sheet. Etching with engraving. Inscribed: J(oh). E(l). Ridinger inv. del. sc. et exc. A(ug). V(ind)., otherwise in German as below. 36.2-36.3 x 28.1 cm.
Thienemann + Schwarz (plt. I, VI f.) 99-100; Weigel XXVIII, Ridinger, 8 A; Nagler 41; Silesian Ridinger collection at Boerner XXXIX, 1788/89 ( “Very rare”, 1885!); Coppenrath Collection II, 1457 ( “Very rare ”, 1889!); Reich auf Biehla Collection 16 (“rare”, 1894!); Schwerdt III, 135; Ortega y Gasset, (Meditations on the Hunt), 1981, ills. pp. 87 + 73; Ridinger Catalog Darmstadt, 1999, V.1 + 2 with illustrations.
Missing in Helbing’s 1554-sheet offer of 1900
just as in 1940 in that of Rosenthal (444 nos.). For the preparatory drawing on the curée of the stag of 1758, now Bavarian private collection, see Schwerdt III, 215 with plate 251, qualified as
“ … quite apart from its artistic value ,
an interesting document from a historical point of view ”
with the distinguishing result of illustration of both each in both Schwarz and Ortega, too.
While at the small hunt the hunter is alone with his hares – on the left below furthermore roe and winged game – and hounds at the edge of a wood with set back parish on the right, so the sheet of the stag offers the ceremonial opulence of the high hunt with the tent of the prince in short distance on the left. In-between the pack held back, only five of these allowed to wait for the signal of the great feed directly at the place of desire.
“ The hare is chased, framed by the hounds and seized, immediately expectorated, those hounds given their right and the hide skinned at home. ”
“ If the noble stag has perished he is disemboweled, the entrails taken out, the right foreleg detached, handed over to the piqueur, and by the same presented to the master and mistress. ”
THE PICTORIALLY AS THEMATICALLY RICH PENDANTS
rounded at top whose stag sheet L’Art Ancien 1939 (list 14, no. 30 with ills.) described on occasion of the offer of the Schwerdt drawing above in spaced type as
“ One of the most beautiful Ridinger plates .”
After only recent passing through of a copy – previous intervals up to 13 years! – the old omnibus volume from the estate of a nobleman come in unexpectedly revealed what is what and rested concealed through the centuries. Here then, numbered by old hand above the platemark XI & XII, on uniform, yet variedly strong laid paper with typographic watermark, the slightly lighter one’s WANGEN as the quality particularly esteemed by the Ridingers. – The hare sheet partially inked a little too much, the right lower corner of the stag sheet somewhat age spotted. – Margins above & below 4.8-5.4, laterally 1.9-2.8 cm wide, at the left the old stitching edge.
Offer no. 15,704 / EUR 1700. / export price EUR 1615. (c. US$ 2200.) + shipping
„ Best her Niemeyer, De prenten zijn vanmiddag in goede staat gearriveerd. Alleen al het uitpakken is een genot! Ze zien er prachtig uit (vooral The Idel ’prentice is een juweel) … Wat dat betreft, zijn eigenlijk alle prenten die u mij hebt toegezonde, van uitstekende kwaliteit … “
(Mijnheer P. E., 1. Februar 2008)