DeutschThe
with Book + Printing-Plate
of “ One of the Most Famous Series of the Artist ”
( FAZ Oct. 14, 1995 )
from which still the “Blue Rider” Franz Marc gained , too
Ridinger, Johann Elias. (Representation of the Fair Game with the respective Traces and Scents, Goings, Get-offs, Turns, Flight, and other Signs … drawn from life) / Abbildung Der Jagtbaren Thiere mit derselben angefügten Fährten und Spuhren, Wandel, Gänge, Absprünge, Wendungen, Widergängen, Flucht, und anderer Zeichen mehr … nach der Natur gezeichnet, samt einer Erklärung darüber). Augsburg, the author (1737-)1740. Large fol. 1 ll. title, preface + description. With pictorially executed large etched title vignette
search-hunter with leader
(15.3 x 23.4 cm) and, mixed with engraving,
23 etchings
(c. 37-37.5 x 29-30 cm).
Ruby red morocco volume
with 4 imit. ribs, fly leaves of the contemporary original binding incl. its hand-written title-plate, 2 dark green back-plates, gilt two-piece title on the front + Ridinger-stag-vignette on the back cover, gilt lines on both, and in the inner of the front cover below ridinger handlung niemeyer (ridinger gallery niemeyer), all in 23.5 carat, in
homogeneous cassette
with
– traced back here far beyond Thieme-Becker (vol. XXVIII, 1933, p. 308) + Thienemann (1856), p. XXIII, seamlessly directly to the master’s estate itself – the
original printing-plate
for plate 16
“( Scent of the Otter )”
in reverse (38.1 x 30.1 cm) as removable solitaire laid into the front cover under polycarbonate glass (more resistant to aging + UV light than Plexiglas, but equally sensitive to scratches, such a little, indeed, below right), inscribed
“ 16. / Joh. El. Ridinger inv. del. sc. et exc. Aug. Vind. ”
Below the gilt
hall mark as uniqueness
– Otter-Exemplar –
(– Otter Copy –)
(Bookbindery M. Hierl Bonn).
Thienemann + Schwarz (Catalogue of a Ridinger-collection, colour plate vol. I, X) 162-185; Weigel XXVIII, 15, A (of C); Schwerdt III, 137; Thiébaud 783; Ridinger Catalogue Darmstadt, 1999, III.20-III.30 with 11 ills.; Cat. Helbing XXXIV (Ridinger) no. 325 as “One of the most important collections of the artist” (1900).
Early impressions on large strong laid paper of 48.5 x 34.3 cm – divided in wide margins above + below and smaller at the sides – as nearly perfect. Then pronounced larger copies of 50-51 x 36-42.5 cm as the ones in the Schwerdt Collection and former here were to qualify as an intermediate state somewhat later in respect of their plates 21-23 as printed from two plates. – Title and plates a little time-marked throughout, but as a whole a very fine copy already before its binding, cassette and – printing-plate in its optically excellently condition.
The first edition of the final state
with the etched numbering
above right and the further marks as there are the title in red and black, the plates 21-23 printed from undivided printing-plate by analogy to the plates 1-20 and other finer characteristics more.
In the 2nd edition (Weigel B, Helbing 328) the title is printed uniformly in black. Between them that state with the title in red + black, but the plates 21-23 printed from two printing-plates while omitting a separating line each (copies Schwarz/von Gutmann + Schwerdt).
All inscribed in the plate with several variants of J(ohann) E(lias) Ridinger inv(enit) del(ineavit) sc(ulpsit) et exc(udit) A(ugusta) V(indelicorum), plts. 21-23 without invenit.
For the complete set of the preparatory drawings at Munich see their splendid facsimile-edition.
Plates 1-20 in the upper nearly three quarters show the animals in typical situations and grandiose environment and below
their traces in original size
excepting the reduced ones of lion + tiger (recte “maybe a jaguar”, Th.) as “not to be found in our forests”. Apart from that there are shown bear – stag – hind – boar – fellow-deer – wolf – roebuck – lynx – ibex – chamois – hare – fox – beaver – otter – badger – wildcat – marten + weasel – polecat + squirrel .
Plates 21-23 repeat the traces reduced like a modern summary. – Shortly ,
the instructive and optically splendid set
par excellence. Doubtless the most important illustrated one relevant to the subject. And coming up to modern standards thematically and artistically undispended already in general till to date.
But as a cassette copy in company with an
original printing-plate
a fascinating worldwide uniqueness
for elitist placement. That
the master has worked it himself alone
shall be mentioned expressly. Just as documented by inscription.
Sheltered from tarnishing by fine application of varnish the plate is printable generally in the ordinary course of its use during the times. But it is offered and sold as a work of art and an object of collecting. Thus without prejudice to its final printing quality.
Thematically beyond
moreover with a further dot over the i
as stated here for the first time. For no less man than the
“ Blue Rider ” Franz Marc
the marten-weasel-sheet served together with two further Ridinger coppers as inspiration for his painting “Playing Weasels” of 1911, Hoberg-Janssen 144 with ills.
In such a way known with Ridinger as source till now only Marc’s woodcut “Riding School after Ridinger” of 1913 (Lankheit 839) as detail interpretation of the mounted rider as background figure of the third sheet (Th. 608, ) of the 1722 Riding School annotated by literature with
“ Illuminatingly that Marc , very well versed in knowledge of art history ,
turns to as models just these masters of the presentation of the horse
(Delacroix and Ridinger)
of the 19th and 18th centuries resp. ”
(Christian von Holst, Franz Marc – Pferde, 2003, pp. 166 ff. inside of [‚… the Kick of my Horses‘]).
His oil “Playing Weasels” following the lithograph of the same name of 1909/10 reveals the knowledge of quite several Ridinger coppers from entirely different sets. Marc shows two weasels, of which the one, bowed over a bough, looks down upon the other sitting in raised attitude. The trees besides of an eccentricity as in this ostensible density used by him only still on the two “Acts under Trees”, H.-J. 143, of the same year. For the thematic primer detonation stands Ridinger’s small sized sheet “The Weasels”, Th. 479, of 1740 as sheet 89 of the set “Design of Several Animals”. Also here two playing ones, but both on the earth in completely different surroundings. The latter Marc splitted up. And took the attitude of the two animals from sheet 86 of the set, the two pine martens Th. 476 (here per 7,332 as well as together with the pendant of the two beech martens Th. 475 per 15,007). The young one of them, bowing over a low bough like at Marc and looking at the dam standing on the hind paws against the trunk, baiting with a captured bird. The same situation shows “Playing Squirrels” as sheet 88 (Th. 478), only with the difference of a further one on the tree, too, but keeping a little aloof and not involved in the play. But the bizarre trees – and as such ones Sälzle characterized they expressly in the edition of the preparatory drawings for the suite here – as rather rarer for Ridinger, too, he took over from sheet 19, Th. 181, of the set with the marten on the tree at the same attitude and a weasel on the ground shown, however, neutrally.
Thus Marc formulated his “Playing Weasels” just so by means of divers Ridinger copies as the latter on his part his “The Amusement of the Shepherds” after Watteau, Th.-Stillfried 1397, composed from four models of the French. That finally the trees as more typical for Ridinger was not unfamiliar to Marc, too, shows the right group of trees of his forest picture “The Würm near Pipping” from 1902/03, H.-J. 15 with ills. By the way a lithograph of the same name has been preceded to the oil of his “Playing Weasels” in 1909/10.
But also the par force scenery on the watercolor “Ried Castle” worked one year later – Holst, ills. 11, p. 29 – stands for a further example of Marc’s occupation with Ridinger,
which in this plurality has not been seen till now .
And in such a way the
Otter Copy
truffled with original printing-plate is thematically enlarged with an additional broadside
by an artistic bridging from 18th to the 20th centuries .
Offer no. 15,273 / price on request
