Circle of David Kandel, “The Queen's Heart was Angry”, c1550

Unidentified printmaker from the circle of David Kandel (1520/25–1592/96)—see Kandel’s woodcut of an elephant pulling a plough from the same publication held by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1850-1014-979.  

“The Queen's Heart was Angry” (aka “Reginæ uirilis animus” [margin text]), c1550 (1544–1552), woodcut with Latin letterpress text verso printed by Heinrich Petri (fl.c1527–1577) as an illustration to a Latin edition (first published in 1550) of Sebastian Münster’s (1488–1552), “Cosmographia” (Cosmographiæ uniuersalis lib. VI. in quibus iuxta certioris fidei scriptorum traditionem describuntur, omnium habitabilis orbis partium situs, propriæq[ue] dotes. regionum topographicæ effigies ...), first published in 1550 in Basel. Archive.org offers an online view of this print in its context on page 765 in a Latin edition published in 1554; see https://archive.org/details/cosmographiuniue00mnst/page/764/mode/2up.

From my reading of the surrounding text (e.g., “… Margareta regnandi auida, potenter Albertum ex Suecia exclusit.” [[transl.) “Margaret, eager to reign, powerfully excluded Albert from Sweden.”]) I suspect that the illustration may relate to the Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Margaret I (1353—1412) whom, I understand, was derisively described by her rival, King Albert of Sweden, as a ruler with no knickers: “King Breechless.” Beyond King Albert’s derision, Margaret I is considered to be the “first great ruling queen in European history” (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_I_of_Denmark).

Woodcut on laid paper with Latin letterpress text verso trimmed around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 8.2 x 11.8 cm; (image borderline) 8 x 11.6 cm.

The British Museum offers a description of this print: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1982-U-2230.

Condition: a strong and well-printed early impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate. Beyond replenished chipped upper corners, the sheet is in an excellent condition with no significant stains.

I am selling this Renaissance period woodcut showing what I believe may be one of the earliest depictions of the Queen of the North (viz. Margaret I, Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway and Sweden), for the total cost of AU$253 (currently US$166.34/EUR152.37/GBP130.36 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$253) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this fascinating woodcut showing the strong spirit of an almost legendary Queen decried (from my understanding) by King Albert of Sweden for wearing no knickers, contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold