Pieter van Laer, “Horse Drinking”, c.1630

Pieter van Laer (aka Pieter Bodding van Laer; Pieter Bodding; Pieter van Laar; Peter de Laer; Bentnaam; Bamboots; Bamboccio [nickname meaning “clumsy doll”]; Bamboche) (1599–1642?)

“Horse Drinking” (aka “Le Cheval Buvant”; “Drinkend Paard”), c.1630 (1620–1642), plate 2 from a series of six numbered etchings (Hollstein 9–14), “Horses” (aka “Paarden”).

Etching on laid paper, trimmed irregularly around the platemark with thread margins and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (irregular sheet) 8.6 x 10.2 cm.

Lettered in plate: (upper left) “P.D.L. fe. 2”.

State ii (of ii) with the corners of the plate rounded.

TIB 1.10 (Leonard J Slatkes [ed.] 1978, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists”, New York, Abaris Books, p. 9, cat. no. 10); Hollstein 10 (F W H Hollstein 1953, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: L'Admiral – Lucas van Leyden”, vol. 10, Amsterdam, Menno Hertzberger, p. 6, cat .no. 10).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Plate 2: A horse drinking from a fountain, standing in profile to right and drinking from the stone basin at right as a male figure looks on; second state with rounded plate-corners; from a series of six etchings” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_Sheepshanks-492).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.134776.

Condition: a strong impression that is possibly a lifetime/early impression (based on the quality of line showing no sign of wear to the printing plate), trimmed around to the platemark and laid onto a sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this remarkably bold etching capturing the intense light falling on the scene with a freshness and breath that was “critical for the development of realism in seventeenth-century Dutch etching” (see Clifford S Ackley’s 1981, “Printmaking in the Age of Rembrandt”, exh. cat. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, p. 122), for the total cost of AU$274 (currently US$183.24/EUR165.28/GBP139.47 at the time of posting 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$274) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this seemingly simple but historically significant etching, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.