Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The Sweet Captivity. / Jucunda captivitas. A shepherd blowing the bagpipe for his shepherdess sitting below a birdcage. Another young woman sitting between them with her left resting on the young man’s knee. Furthermore sheep and the hound of the lover. Mezzotint (after François Boucher, 1703 Paris 1770). Inscribed: Joh. El. Ridinger excud. Aug. Vind., otherwise as before. 42 x 54 cm.

Schwarz 1463 with plate vol. 2, XXII (variant); Reich auf Biehla Collection 313 („Extremely rare“, 1894); Ridinger Cat. Helbing 1539 (“Very rare mezzotint”, 1900); erlebnis ridinger 1698-1998, 20, with ills.

Not in Thienemann (1856) + Stillfried (1876) , Weigel, Art Stock Catalogue, pts. I-XXVIII (1838/57) , Silesian Ridinger Collection at Boerner (1885) , Coppenrath Collection (1889/90) , R. collection at Wawra (1890) , R. list Rosenthal (1940).

Bipartite WANGEN watermark. – With quatrain in German-Latin parallel text:

Wonderful  large  sheet

valued by Helbing in 1900 with 75 gold mark even nearer to his very fine copy of the 23-sheet ( sic! ) set The Fair Game (130 gold mark) than the “The Happy Shepherds’ Life” (70 gold mark). Just as the one here was rated and payed for significantly more in the sale of the Count Faber-Castell collection (1958) than the latter one. Present moreover in the quite evidently best preseved one of the totally five copies known here.

Centre fold barely recognizable from the front, a pin head sized scrape and an equal hole in the free outmost plate field of the text margin. The wide white upper margin fissured and backed acid-freely. Independently of this contrary to – at least – Gutmann’s copy (the other three not illustrated here) in a

visibly  deviating  earlier  state .

Of greatest rareness as the precious art of mezzotint only allows editions of about “50 or 60 clean copies, afterwards (the image) grinds itself off very soon” (Sandrart 1675). Accordingly Thienemann noted in 1856:

“ The mezzotints are almost not available on the market anymore. By the way all mezzotints worked by and after Joh. El. Ridinger are that rare that they are to be found almost only in some of the magnificent public print rooms. I met most of the described ones only in the famous Cabinet in Dresden …”

Shortly :

That in the case here as outstanding additional factor of rareness a truly superb widemarginess of 9.3-10 on the sides and 4.8 and 5.5 cm resp. on top and bottom is added, is then just the last non-plus-ultra delighting the pretentious collector. Here thus

Engraved in the opposite direction after  Boucher’s  ( “Main master of rococo”, Jahn ) “Les amours pastorales” in the engraving by Gaillard this station is in the person of the shepherdess a very charming development from “Happy Shepherds’ Life” also noted by Schwarz ( “Belonging to the set 1399 and 1400”, as supposedly 1461, too, 28,107 here). While there not just her face is vainglorious in accordence with the text, but the belle in general quite a reserved lady, we see her really relaxed here. Her face complete bestowal, leg shown, bosom anyway, the skirt folded back invitingly. But everything light and charming and of equal grace the shepherd.
Offer no. 28,108 / EUR  1467. / export price EUR  1394. (c. US$ 1940.) + shipping

“ That would be great! I will send out a check tomorrow for … Followed by a payment in July then one in August. Thank you for your flexability. Kindest Regards ”

(Mr. L. A. F., June 22, 2004)