Hieronymus Cock, “Flight into Egypt”, c.1555

Hieronymus Cock (aka Jérome Cock) (c.1517/18–1570)

“Flight into Egypt”, c.1555 (c.1551–before 1558 [Rijksmuseum]), intermediary design by Hieronymus Cock’s elder brother, Matthijs Cock (aka Matthys Cock; Matthys Cock; Matthias Cock; Matthijs Wellens de Cock; Matthijs Kock) (c.1510/15–1548), from the series of twelve plates, “Landscapes with Biblical and Mythological Scenes”, published in 1558 by Hieronymous Cock.

Etching on laid paper trimmed around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 21.8 x 30.8cm.

Inscribed in plate: (lower left corner) “H COCK FE./ Deipara uirgo in Aegptum fugit”.

Hollstein 40 (F.W.H. Hollstein 1951, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: Brun–Coques: text”, vol. 4, Amsterdam, Menno Hertzberger, p. 179, cat. no. 40); Riggs 11 (Timothy Allan Riggs 1977, “Hieronymus Cock: Printmaker and Publisher”, New York, Garland Publishing, pp. 273–279, cat. no. 11).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print: (transl.) “Landscape with a watermill by a river. On the left on the path Mary and Joseph fleeing into Egypt. Mary holds Christ in her arm and rides on a donkey. Joseph wears a hat and a stick and holds Mary's hand” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.96307).

See also an interesting essay regarding the series in which this print features (but not reproduced) in the exhibition catalogue from the Royal Library of Belgium: Joris van Grieken et al. 2013, “Hieronymus Cock: The Renaissance in Print", New Haven and London, pp. 344–47.

At the time that this etching was executed, artists leaned towards two different approaches to portraying the landscape.

The first approach—as employed here—is to portray a largely imagined landscape from a great height as if it were an exemplary extraction of the cosmos with allegorical and religious narratives being played out. This first approach is known by the German world, “Weltlandschaft”, or “World Landscape” (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_landscape), initiated by Joachim Patinir (c1480–1524). Joris van Grieken et al. (2013) propose that this approach to landscape was “… to stimulate the imagination, sometimes at the expense of all visual plausibility” (p. 343).

The second approach, which also plays a role in this etching, but to a lesser extent, is driven by the idea of a “Lady Landscape”—a not so politically correct mindset in which the landscape’s natural forces are perceived as femininely evil with a façade of beauty (see Udo Becker 2000, “The Continuum Encyclopedia of Symbols”, Continuum, p. 169). Artists who approach the landscape with this mindset tend to employ focal points in the landscape where the veil of external appearance is stripped bare, such as the underground watercourse leading to the watermill inviting a viewer to contemplate the subterranean depths of a landscape where natural forces interact with everyday activities.

Condition: a strong lifetime impression (based on the quality of line showing no sign of wear to the printing plate and even the lightly scratched guides to lettering before etching are still clear). Beyond a clipper upper corner, the sheet is in an excellent condition for its considerable age with no tears, folds or significant stains. The sheet has been laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this exceptionally rare lifetime impression of a magnificent etching by one of the most important 16th century printmakers, for the total cost of AU$672 (currently US$448.63/EUR413.41/GBP345.57 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$672) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this important Renaissance period etching from the start of the Western landscape tradition, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold