Johann Elias Ridinger (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Hippopotamus, River Horse, Water Ox. Standing to the right in reeds by a water, but roaring in rage to the left with quite detailed presentation of the powerful set of teeth. Colored etching with engraving. Inscribed: HIPPOPOTAMVS, Equus NILOTICVS. / Flußpferd, Nilpferd, Wasserochs. / Cheval marin. / Familia IV. Vierhufige. / Ex Collection. Secr. Klein. Gedan. / Joh. El. Ridinger sculps. et exc. Aug. Vind. 12¼ × 8 in (31 × 20.3 cm).

Thienemann & Schwarz 1029. – IN THE RIDINGERS’ ORIGINAL COLORING from the unnumbered Colored Animal Kingdom created since 1754 and concluded finally posthumously not before 1773 (“Complete copies are next to untraceable”, so Weigel, Art Cat., sect. XXVIII, Ridinger Appendix 63a as merely 120-sheet torso, 1857 ! , but also just individual plates quite rarely on the market only, at niemeyer’s currently the one as the others all the same). – Remaining uncolored contrary to the prospectus, a second edition from the plates shortened even under loss of animals and with modified titling and the Ridinger inscription removed, yet now numbered, was published by Engelbrecht/Herzberg in Augsburg 1824/25.

Final state after removal of the reference to Jacob Theodor Klein’s 1751 Quadrupedum Dispositio brevisque Historia Naturalis, in the first state given as “2.D.S.XII.” as supposedly also present to Th., although this, frequently a little unreliable in his renditions, rather generally states “Q.” instead of “2.” and “§.” instead of “S(ection).”. The plate itself by the way annotated by him as follows:

“ It is not an entirely well-made illustration of the animal extremely rare over here, exact ones we have only received most recently (mid 19^th century), but by no means it has to be called utterly failed. The head is too large, the coloring to vivid etc., but for that time it is good enough .”

With watermark C & I Honig as that sturdy Dutch quality paper Ridinger used in line with his preamble to the Principal Colors of Horses

“on account of the fine illumination” for the colored works

“as for this purpose it is the most decent and best”. – Margins on three sides 2.1-2.6 cm, below 4.7 cm wide. – At the upper left white stitching margin some small brown spots.

Offer no. 15,960 | price on application

1. “famous work which the merited naturalist Jacob Theodor Klein in Danzig published 1751 under the title: Quadrupedum Dispositio brevisque Historia Naturalis. Enlarged and revised, he had translated it into the German himself and his friend Gottfried Reyger published it 1760 under the title: J. Th. Klein’s Natural Order and Augmented History of the Quadruped Animals. Ridinger was in close communication with Klein, was supported by him in many ways in this (Animal Kingdom) undertaking and followed Klein’s system” (Th., p. 200)↩