Johann Elias Ridinger (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Saint Mary Magdalen in Penitence in the Desert. Half-length portrait sitting to the right at a boulder overgrown with flowers, the head turned to the upper left supported by the left while the right rests on a chalice standing on a slab together with death’s-head enclosed by a chain. To the left fine view at distant clouds. Above, coming from the upper edge of the picture filling, comet-like beam of light. Below broad field with center cartouche for entries of individual kind, both left empty as the norm with the preserved copies, but also without the name of the saint usually set into the latter. Mezzotint. 20¼ × 16¾ in (51.6 × 42.4 cm).

Provenance: Alexander Count of Faber-Castell (1866-1928), his Ridinger sale 1958 with its lot no. 168 on the underlay carton; Radulf Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen (1922-2004).

Compare Schwarz 1507 (20⅛ × 15¼ in [51.2 × 38.6 cm]; inscribed Ioh. Elias Ridinger exc.: Aug. Vind., with two soaring angel heads upper left in the clouds) as reduced repetition of Schwarz 1506 (26⅛ × 19¼ in [66.5 × 48.8 cm]; inscribed as before, but instead of the “exc.” “invent. et delin.” and without the angel heads); Wend, Ergänzungen zu den Œuvreverzeichnissen der Druckgrafik, I/1 (1975), 192 (Schw. 1507); Faber-Castell 115 (negligently as Schwarz 1506!).

Not in Thienemann (1856) , Stillfried (1876) , Weigel, Art Stock Catalog, pts. I-XXVIII (1838/57) , Silesian Ridinger collection at Boerner XXXIX (1885) , Coppenrath Collection (1889 f.) , Reich auf Biehla (1894) , Gg. Hamminger (1895) , Helbing XXXIV (Arbeiten von J. E. und M. E. Ridinger, 1900) , Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940).

Undescribed variant to Schwarz 1507 + 1506 in proof before all letters with the far more expressive beam of light instead of the informal usual puttos which furthermore is not, as the latter, set into the clouds, rather emanates from the broad-flatted black utterly devoid of contours above them. Being 3.8 cm wider than Schwarz 1507 and therefore beyond the tolerable of varying working of paper it must be proceeded from an independent version and not just from differing states of one and the same plate.

Marvelous impression of adequate preservation with WANGEN watermark as standing for contemporary impressions with margins of 5-10 mm running around. Three differently long professionally smoothed out cross-folds no more perceptible from the front as a little restoring in height of the breast. Tiny rust spots in the sky part, three pinhead-small little holes right in the white paper (2) and image margin resp.

Offer no. 14,868 | price on application