Cornelis Bloemaert, “Leandre and Hero”, c. 1655, after Abraham van Diepenbeeck

Cornelis Bloemaert (1603–1692) in collaboration with Theodor Matham (aka Dirk Matham) (1605/06–1676) (background landscape)

“Leandre and Hero” (aka “Leander Swims across the Hells Bridge to find Hero”; “Léandre Traverse l'Héllespont à la Nage pour Aller Trouver Héro”) c. 1655, after the design by Abraham van Diepenbeeck (aka Abraham van Diepenbeek; Abraham van Diepenbeke) (1596–1675), plate 35 in the series of 58 illustrations to Michel de Marolles’ (1600–1681) “Tableaux du Temple des Muses” (aka “Tableaux du temple des muses tirez du cabinet de feu Mr Favereau, et gravez en tailles-douces par les meilleurs maistres de son temps pour représenter les vertus et les vices, sur les plus illustres fables de l'antiquité, avec les descriptions, remarques et annotations”). This impression is possibly from a later edition.

Marcel Roethlisberger (1993), in “Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons,” notes that the publication of this series was a “complex publishing venture,” and that Pierre Mariette II (1634–1716) may have been involved (vol. 1, p. 525). The series was certainly published by Nicolas Langlois (1640–1703) in Paris in 1655, and a later, more ornate edition featuring decorative frames was published by Bernard Picart (1673–1733) in Amsterdam in 1733. Interestingly, Cornelis Bloemaert also produced an engraving of this print in the reverse direction for publication in 1676 (see https://archive.org/details/tableauxdutemple00maro/page/n367/mode/2up). Roethlisberger (1993) cautions that “there is no indication that Cornelis [Bloemaert] collaborated in the 1655 edition” (ibid.).

Etching and engraving on laid paper.

Size: (sheet) 33.3 x 23.4 cm; (plate) 27.9 x 18.2 cm; (image borderline) 23.2 x 17.9 cm.

Numbered and lettered on plate below the image borderline: ““LÉANDRE TRAVERSE L'HÉLLESPONT À LA NAGE POUR ALLER TROUVER HÉRO. … nu son Corps se précipita de désespoir du haut de la Tour. Mart. Spect. Ep. 15. 25. 35.”

The British Museum offers the following description of this print from the Nicolas Langlois edition: “Mythological scene with Leander swimming in a stormy sea in right foreground, accompanied by Cupid, a tower with a lantern in right background, the Winds blowing in top left; after Abraham van Diepenbeeck; from an album containing sixty engravings trimmed and pasted on sheets; illustration on page 275 from Marolles' "Temple des Muses" [Paris, Nicolas Langlois: 1655]. c. 1635–1638/ Etching and engraving” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1983-1001-12-34).

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression. Beyond a few minor dots in the margin, the sheet is in a very good condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

Price & Shipping: AU$236 (approx. US$153.32 / €131.78 / £114.50), including worldwide express shipping. Please note: Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in purchasing this visually engaging etching showing the naked young man from Greek mythology, Leander, swimming to his beloved, Hero, who guides him with a light held from a distant tower, 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

Anton Joseph Prenner, “Mountain Landscape with Town”, 1728, after Paul Bril

Anton Joseph Prenner (Antonio de Brenner; Anton Joseph von Prenner; Anton von Brenner) (1683–1761)

“Mountain Landscape with Town”, 1728, after a painting by Paul Bril (Paulus Brill; Paolo Brillo) (c.1553/4–1626), plate 26 from the series, “Theatrum Artis Pictoriae” (aka “Prenner Gal Vienne”; “Galerie Impériale de Vienne”), reproducing a painting from the Imperial collection in Vienna’s Belvedere (The Imperial Gallery of Paintings). The etching is printed from two plates—an outer decorative frame plate and an inner image plate—on heavy buff laid paper and hand-coloured in the early 18th century. 

Size: (sheet) 31.2 x 38.2 cm; (outer plate mark) 25.2 x 31.5 cm; (outer image borderline) 24.1 x 31 cm

Numbered in plate within the image borderline: (upper left corner) “26.”

Lettered in plate below the inner image borderline: (left) ALT:23 LAT:35.”; (centre) “Paul Bril Pinx”; (right) “PRENNER. INCIDIT.”

Inscribed by an old hand in brown ink below the image at left: “130”.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print (without colouring): “Plate 26: Landscape with a sunrise over a valley, a group of figures resting in lower left, a village built against a mountain at right; within separately printed decorative frame; after Paul Bril; from a series of reproductions of the Imperial Gallery of Paintings in Vienna. 1728/ Etching” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1850-1021-109).

Condition: Strong, well-printed impressions of both plates. The early hand-coloured watercolour is fairly crude up close but appears vibrant and unfaded from a distance. The sheet is in excellent condition, free from tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or stains.

Price & Shipping: AU$253 (approx. US$164.57 / €140.94 / £122.42), including worldwide express shipping.

Please note: Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

Interested in this unique hand-coloured etching—possibly by a contemporary artist from the time of publication? Contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com for a PayPal invoice and an easy purchase process.

Honoré Daumier, “L'Artiste m'a représentée au moment où j'écris mon sombre volume …”, 1844

Honoré Daumier (aka Rogelin) (1808–1879)

“L'Artiste m'a représentée au moment où j'écris mon sombre volume …” (The artist captured me as I was writing my melancholic book …), 1844, Plate 23 (Stone No. 576), from the series of 40 lithographs, “Les Bas Bleus” (The Blue Stockings), published and printed in Paris by Aubert & Cie (c. 1830s–1880s), in “Le Charivari” (15^th April, 1844).

Lithograph on wove (newsprint) paper, printed on both recto and verso, backed by an archival support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 32.2 x 22.9 cm; (image borderline) 23.1 x 18.3 cm

Lettered above the image borderline: (centre) “LES BAS BLEUS.”; (right) “23.”

Inscribed in the stone within the image borderline: (lower right) “576/ h.D”.

Lettered below the image borderline: (left) “Chez Aubert, Pl. de la Bourse 29”; (right) “Imp. d[']Aubert & C^ie.”

The caption below the image offers the following discussion:

“L'Artiste m'a représentée au moment ou j'écris mon sombre volume intitulé: ‘Vapeurs de mon âme!...’ l'œil n'est pas mal, mais le nez me semble pas suffisamment affligé!... (Le monsieur à part) - Oui... il n'est qu'affligeant...”

([transl.] The artist captured me as I was writing my melancholic book entitled "Sorrows of my soul." The eyes came out quite well but the nose is not sorrowful enough!... (Man, sotto voce) - Yes... it is just in a sorry state...)

DR Number 1243 (Daumier Register cat. no. 1243 [https://www.daumier-register.org/werkview.php?key=1243])

Context & Significance: This lithograph is part of Daumier’s Les Bas Bleus series—a satirical commentary on the “Blue Stockings,” a term often used derogatorily for women involved in the early women’s liberation movement of the mid-19th century.
In this particular image, a female writer laments her portrayal in a portrait before a male companion, highlighting societal perceptions of women striving for intellectual independence.

Condition: A well-printed impression with slight shine-through of printed text from the verso. The sheet is in excellent condition—clean, with no tears, stains, holes, or folds. It has been laid on an archival-quality millennium washi support for preservation and to provide wide margins for mounting.

Price & Shipping: AU$172 (approximately US$111.78 / €95.91 / £83.26), inclusive of worldwide express shipping.
Please note: Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in purchasing fascinating caricature of 19th-century societal attitudes to women striving for acclaim, 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

Rubricated leaf from Antoninus Florentinus’ “Summa Sacrae Theologiae”, c.1478

An extraordinarily rare, large, and beautifully rubricated incunable leaf, published between 1477 and 1479 in Nuremberg by the renowned printer and godfather of Albrecht Dürer, Anton Koberger (c. 1440/45–1513). This exceptional leaf comes from the first edition of Antoninus Florentinus’ (1389–1459) seminal work, “Summa Sacrae Theologiae”—a cornerstone of moral theology.

Details:

• Letterpress text on laid paper of imperial folio size
• Printed on both recto and verso
• Rich rubricated capitals, attributed to an unidentified Nuremberg artist
• Complete with full margins, as originally issued
• Size: 48.5 x 33 cm (sheet)

For reference, explore six pages from this document on Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/images_KG02_46.
And see the publication’s description as featured by Christie’s Auctions: https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/books-manuscripts-photographs-middle-ages-moon/antoninus-florentinus-1389-1459-19/116504

Condition:
A superb impression with unfaded rubricated embellishments. The leaf is in excellent condition for its age and size—free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or significant stains. Light age-toning is visible along the edges.

Price: AU$386 (approx. US$250.86 / €215.24 / £186.85), including worldwide express shipping.
Please note: Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this rare glimpse into 15th-century Nuremberg scholarly life, don’t hesitate to contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com). I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth and safe transaction.

This print has been sold