Cornelis Bloemaert, “A Reclining Hunter”, c.1625, after Abraham Bloemaert

Cornelis Bloemaert (1603–1692)

“A Reclining Hunter”, c.1625, plate 6 from a series of sixteen engravings, “The Praise of Sloth” (aka “The Leisure Series” [BM title]; “The Delight of Leisure”; “Otia Delectant”), published by Cornelis Bloemaert, after a drawing in the reverse direction by Cornelis’ father, Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651) with two lines of Latin verse by Hendrik de Roij (1598–1678).

Engraving on fine laid paper with watermark (crowned arms with letters) with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 18.9 x 26.8cm; (plate) 10.8 x 15.6cm; (image borderline) 9.8 x 15.1cm.

Lettered and numbered in plate below the image borderline: (centre) “Quisquis opus cœptum deduxit ad ultima felix,/ Otia securo ducere blanda licet” (Happy who completes work which he started, he is entitled to enjoy leisure safely).; (right) “6”.

Marvellous lifetime impression in a perfect condition.

Roethlisberger 302 (Marcel G. Roethlisberger 1993, “Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons: Paintings and Prints”, vol. 1, Davaco, Doornspuk, p. 233, cat. no. 302).

Roethlisberger (1993) offers the following insights about this print: “The figure in full light is surrounded by shaded motifs. The same dogs recur in the Venus and Adonis painting of 1632 (same direction). A somewhat different preliminary drawing in reverse is in private hand (ex Haboldt gallery, New York), the right leg of the huntsman pulled back.” (p. 233).

See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1932-0213-294 (BM inv.no. 1932,0213.294).

Condition a strong and well-printed lifetime impression with wide margins in a near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or significant signs of handling.

I am selling this lifetime impression from c.1625 of a very beautiful engraving with wide margins in a near faultless (museum quality) condition for AU $388 in total (currently US$246.97/ EUR234.67/ GBP193.49 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 $388) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in acquiring this curiously interesting image of a hunter wearing the garb of an outdoors man of the early 1600s resting with his dogs and a recently caught hare—note the artist’s insight to continue the hunter’s twisting movement of yawning into the spiralling form of the tree against which he rests—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