Deutsch“ … make a quite pretty hunt ”
The Toils of 1717 – The Toils Plate of 1729
Unprecedentedly Unique + Brilliant
the Unison of Time + Sujet
Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The Hunting Ground surrounded by Flaring Cords. In front feather cord, set back above
the row of toils
– “ also the kind of the hunting stuff , toils , toils windlass , etc.
is used pictorially ”
(Franz von Kobell as a “true huntsman” [ADB], 1865 –
under which the first stag already dies while a royal one still is about to leap over these, but will himself fall prey to the fire of the shooter front right. In the interior of the forest another noble one rather prefers to give the hunters the slip by putting offside. Printing-plate in reverse. (1729.) Inscribed: Ioh. El. Ridinger inv. pinx. sculps. et exc. A. V. / avec privil. de sa Majeste Imp. 30.5 x 23.4 cm.
Hunting Toils of George William Margrave at Brandenburg (1678-1726) with crowned eagle arms between the monogram GWMZB and the year 1717 on the one and
raised stag of 12 points held at bay by hound of the pack
on the other side. Set of four at obviously original rope of 403 cm length + 2 x 20 cm hooking turn up. Hand-cloth-printing in reddish brown + black on sacking-colored (3) and grey ground resp. 62-63 x 35-40 cm.
In outside as inside uniform
joint ruby red morocco cassette
(75.5 x 48 x 8.2 cm) with 4 imitated ribs, 2 dark green gilt back plates, gilt bipartite title with year as well as gilt lining on the front cover as well as “ridinger handlung niemeyer” at the lower inner edge of the back cover, all in 23.5 carat, with the solitaires laid into under polycarbonate glass (more resistant to aging + UV light than Plexiglas, but equally scratch-sensitive).
On the left the optically excellently preserved
original printing-plate
to one of the eight smaller-sized sheets (Thienemann + Schwarz 17; Stubbe, 1966, plate 4) of the instructive educational set of the “Princely Hunting Pleasure” from 1729 worked in etching with engraving as the earliest one of the major hunting sets of the œuvre now executed in the plate by Ridinger himself and here traced back far beyond Thieme-Becker (vol. XXVIII, 1933, p. 308) + Thienemann (1856, p. XXIII) seamlessly directly to the master’s estate itself as a worldwide unique collector’s object of degrees. – Sheltered from tarnishing by fine application of varnish the present plate is generally printable in the ordinary course of its use during the times, but its final quality is not warranted.
Thematically , however, belonging to the hunt-didactic works of Ridinger’s, his effort to pass on to all,
from the apprentice upwards ,
the sportsmanlike equipment a good hunter needs. Correspondingly then the rich – in reverse here of course – subtext, parallel in German + French:
“ This has been invented for both big and small game so that without special costs and much stuff one can give oneself a pleasant joy, make a pretty hunt with few folks and just one leader. When the stags, or roes are surrounded
one takes
these cloth-toils
in bundles on a hook, lets them run off and then surrounds the thicket or place where the game is accustomed to stay in, such has to happen in as much silence as possible. There are also feather cords bound below so that not some game leaps beneath. If it is now surrounded so the huntsmen disperse for their places on the outside; after that one starts quite leisurely to drive as then the game is used to run about, and presents itself to the hunter to shoot; it has to be taken good care, however, that there is not shot from many places at the same time, for so one forces them too heavily they fall over the cords and bolt. ”
(Which latter situation the shooter is waiting beyond the cords faces.)
La Chasse environnée des Cordes
“ Cette maniere de chasser est propre pour toutes sortes de Venaison ou on peut se divertir sans beaucoup de depenses et a peu de gens et d’un seul chien Quand les Cerfs ou les Chevreuils se trouvent renfermés dans un bois, ou environ(n)e cet endroit ou les bêtes se tiennent avec des Enceintes; cela se doit faire en cachete et en silence qu’il est possible, et ces enceintes se doivent bien fermer en bas asinque les Bêtes ne puissant echapper. Quand cela est fait soigneusement, les Veneurs se partagent de toutes cotés, et se mettent en poste. Alors on commence à lancer les Bêtes qui courent ou on les tire aisement. Mais il y a bien à observer, qu’on doit prendre garde que plusieurs ne tirent ensemble, car quand les Bêtes sont forcées trop, elles tachent de s’enfager outres les enceites et echapent. ”
“ … the setting up and design of the hunt (however)
belonged to the artistic jobs of the 18th century ”
(so in a 1991 exhibition catalogue of the Hamburg Art Gallery commenting on a Ridinger item).
The hunt in the age of Ridinger thus arthistorically no longer understood separately on its own, separate thus also not Ridinger himself as its mere protagonist, but seen as standing in closest context with the century as a whole. Thereby, however, its undisputed Grand Master no longer stands for simply the hunt, but just for a whole epoch. With all the challenge for research which inevitably results from this. And also results from it as at the same place
“ the engraved , etched , and mezzotinted work of Ridinger
is compared as equal-ranking
to the major graphic works of the 18th century . ”
That is, literally:
“ As Piranesi addressed those interested in the ancient , Hogarth the civic common sense by their works (likewise) annotated by engraved explanations, Ridinger doubtless had the interest of the courts and the nobility on his side . ”
Adequately exemplary for the above then
the magnificent printing-plate worked by the master himself ,
arranged in the ruby red morocco interior of the front cover of the cassette with the gilt-tooled subinscription
The theme of the toils is found with Ridinger obviously only still on the sceneries Th. 337 (etched/engraved by his eldest, Martin Elias, the plate besides sold here already into the possession of a museum) , Th. 327 (Martin Elias after J. D. Wochner) and only less complete with Th. 304.
On the right then as documents of the practice itself the toils of just that engraved everyday hunt life vis-à-vis. And the creation of both
in a chronological interval of just 12 years !
And thematically tailor-made on the top of it! And four at a piece into the bargain ! Commented as
“ in the closer sense the clothes, nets, and toils required for the arrangement of encircled huntings. One distinguishes: 1) Dazzle clothes which have the purpose to shrink back the game; to this effect belong … b) Cloth toils consisting of large toils of strong grey cloth about ½ m in the square fixed on top of a 150 paces long rope thick as a finger on which are placed
the monogram of the hunting lord ,
often also the year of making
(as both then here) … One arranges these toils as freely as possible so they can be seen by the game already from afar on the lines over which it shall not flee away … Especially in windy weather the game is frightened away by the toils fluttering to and fro. But when it is very much disturbed, so it respects these no longer … After each use the hunting clothes must be well dried and overhauled. One keeps the same in special hunting cloth houses which are so installed that sufficient air can flue constantly therewith the clothes will not become foxing … ”
(Meyers Convers.-Lex., 4th ed., IX [1889], 127 f.).
This caring preservation then present set of four corresponds to with respect
to its purpose of use ,
that is its game pedigree .
Inevitably faded and with color abrasions, indeed, but not moldy, the general condition is fine with the most beautiful one lying on top presenting the
stag-hound-motif
with reverse shining through
of the master’s of the hunt monogram + the year .
The hunt dominion of additional prominence as the Ordre de la Sincérité – Order of Sincerity – founded by Margrave George William in 1705 and organized in 1712, renamed to Red Eagle Order by Margrave George Frederick Charles in 1734, became under the latter name the second highest Prussian order in 1792! And by this one of the major ones of the age. – Shortly ,
Enormously brilliant
the Toils Copy
in its grandeur
as an overall work of art sui generis
There’s nothing more elitist
And at least in conjunction with Ridinger worldwide unique on the market .
Offer no. 14,992 / price on request
