Goshawk, Eagle and Vulture
King Vulture and Eagle
Eagle Owl & Owls
Owls

Johann Elias Ridinger (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). Birds of Prey by Day and Owls. Each in mostly rocky surroundings and accessed with numbers. Set of four sheet. Etchings with engraving, 3 of which by Martin Elias Ridinger (1731 Augsburg 1780). 1763. Inscribed as below. 13-13¼ × 9¾ in (33-33.6 × 24.7-24.8 cm).

Thienemann & Schwarz (vol. I, ill. of pl. III) 755-758; Niemeyer, Ridinger Erlebnisse 1698-2020, 2021, p. 133; Weigel 44 A (of A-C). – Not in the Ridinger catalogs Darmstadt, 1999, and Kielce, 1997. Missing also in the Coppenrath (1889/90) & Schoeller (1921) collections. And only one single copy (“Very fine impressions with wide margin”) with market sweeper Georg Hamminger 1895 as well as two single sheets each of two of the plates, one of which mounted and without margin. Helbing, however, assembled for cat. XXXIV, Arbeiten von J. E. und M. E. Ridinger, 1900, two copies of the set, one of which in later impressions, as well as several individual sheets, partly new impressions or trimmed or otherwise defective.

Here then on strong laid paper, partly with typographic watermark, in entirely homogeneous marvelously shining qualities on half sheets uncut on three sides and in such a manner with margins above & below 9.5-11 cm, laterally 5.5-6.3 cm wide. – In the upper margin the two pin holes of the original stitching, small tears in the deckle edges mostly backed acid-freely, the lower deckle edge of pl. 3 additionally a little time-marked. Pl. 4 lower right with faint tidemark barely perceptible in the white platemark.

I.

1. The Great Goshawk. 2. Two Small Species of Eagles. 3. The Brown Pale Vulture. 4. Crow. 5. Magpie. J. El. Ridinger inv. et. del. A. V. / El. Martin Ridinger sculpsit.

“ No. 1 … with spread wings, appears to be a young bird of the goshawk (falco palumbarius Linn.)” (Th.). 2. & 3. are “not to be ascertained”, 4. & 5. “are both magpies (corvus pica Linn.)”.

II.

1. Oriental Eagle or Vulture King. 2. European Great Eagle. J. El. Ridinger ad viv. del. et excud. Aug. Vind. / M. El. Ridinger sculps. 1763. A. V.

“ Here we see the king vulture (Vultur Papa Linn.) in very agitated position. 2. … cannot be ascertained ” (Th.).

III.

1. The Great Eagle Owl or Eared Owl. 2. Medium species of the Eared Owl. 3. Barn Owl. 4. Owls of the greatest species. 5. Smaller Owls. 6. The Smallest Owl called Schoffittichen. J. El. Ridinger inv. et fecit. / J. El. Ridinger sculps. A. V. (Th.: should be: Martin Elias).

“ 1. … is strix Bubo Linn. Besides an unnamed owl, without feather tufts. A young eagle owl? 2. … We have a medium eared owl indeed (strix otus Linn.), yet for this it is far to big. Supposedly it is the great eagle owl, male, too. 3. … not bad (strix flammea Linn.), which is also named tower or church owl. 4. … This name seems to indicate our brown owl (strix aluco Linn.), but in nature this is larger, in the depiction significantly smaller than the barn owl. 5. … We call the earless owls Kauz, however, this shows distinctly feather tufts and therefore might represent the smallest eared owl (strix scops. Linn.). 6. … Maybe the rare sparrow owl (strix acadica) ” (Th.).

IV.

1. The Great Eared Owl. 2. The Grey Owl. 3. Brown Owl. 4. Small Eared Owl. El. M. Ridinger sculps. / J. E. R. inv. et excud. A. V.

“ In a rock cave seven owls sit, supposed to belong to four species … 2. … supposedly barn owl … 4. … two piece, of which one shows distinct feather tufts. Therefore this might be the first true representation of the short-eared owl (strix brachyotos): Then noteworthy ” (Th.).

In the new edition by Engelbrecht-Herzberg of 1824/25 present four sheets were offered augmented by the slightly larger Birds of Prey by Day (Th. 273) & Icelandic White Falcon spotted with Black Feathers (Th. 284) removed from the Most Wondrous Deer and other Peculiar Animals and worked exclusively by Johann Elias Ridinger. Here, however, it may be repeated, the four-sheet set as created by Ridinger in contemporary impressions on half sheet each with deckle edge on three sides

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