Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp, “Arab Quarter in Semarang, Java”, 1915

Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp (1874–1950)
“Arab Quarter in Semarang, Java” (also known as “Arabisches Viertel in Semarang auf Java”, “Houses by the Water in Semarang”, and “In de Kampong, Semarang [Indonesia]”), 1915

The scene depicted in Nieuwenkamp’s etching highlights a historically significant part of the port district known as Kampung Melayu in North Semarang, Java, Indonesia. This area has long been inhabited by Arab merchants and traders. Central to the view is the Menara Mosque (Tower Mosque), built in 1802, with its distinctive Hadramaut-style minaret visible on the left. The landscape also features a variety of architectural styles, including a building with a tiered roof on the right, reflecting the diverse cultural influences and centuries of trade that have shaped this vibrant community.

While Nieuwenkamp’s father was involved in the East India trade with his fleet of ships, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp made his own mark through a different path. Although he is best known as a painter, printmaker, and sculptor, he was also an acclaimed writer, architect, explorer, ethnologist, and collector of East Asian art. Interestingly, in 1931, Nieuwenkamp proposed the “Borobudur Lake Theory,” suggesting that the Kedu Plain was once a lake, with the Borobudur complex envisioned as a lotus flower floating on its surface (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._O._J._Nieuwenkamp). This theory remains a fascinating aspect of his legacy in understanding the ancient history of the region.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with plate tone printed in brown ink on handmade cream wove paper with full margins and deckle edges as issued. The etching was published in Vienna in 1915 by the Society for Reproductive Art (Gesellschaft für Vervielfältigende Kunst), facing page 8 in The Graphic Arts, volume 38 (XXXVIII), issue 1 (“Die Graphischen Künste, Jahrgang XXXVIII Wien Gesellschaft für Vervielfältigende Kunst 1915 Heft 1”).

This is a strong, near faultless, impression and the sheet is in pristine condition—free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, or signs of handling.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 40.4 x 30.5 cm
• Plate mark: 20.5 x 22 cm
• Image Border: 18.6 x 20.1 cm

Letterpress lettering along the lower edge of the sheet:

• Left: “W.O.J. NIEUWENKAMP, ARABISCHES VIERTEL IN SEMARANG AUF JAVA. RADIERUNG.”
• Right: “VERLAG DER GESELLSCHAFT FÜR VERVIELFÄLTIGENDE KUNST, WIEN.”

Reference:

Art of the Print offers a wonderful discussion about this print and the artist: https://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/nieuwenkamp_wijnand_otto_jan_arabischesviertelinsemarangaufjava.htm

Price & Shipping:
AU$263 (approximately US$176/ €149.94 / £130.76), inclusive of worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this historically important visual record of the port district in North Semarang (Java, Indonesia), please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Ferdinand Gaillard, “Horace Vernet”, 1863, after Paul Delaroche

Ferdinand Gaillard (also known as Claude Ferdinand Gaillard) (1834–1887)
“Horace Vernet”, 1863

Technical Details & Condition:

This is an exquisite etching (possibly with engraving) on wove paper, based on a drawing of the renowned artist Horace Vernet (also known as Émile Jean Horace Vernet) (1789–1863). Horace Vernet was the son of the painter Carle Vernet and the grandson of Claude Joseph Vernet. The work was created by Paul Delaroche (also known as Hippolyte Delaroche) (1797–1856). For further context, see https://www.musee-orsay.fr/fr/oeuvres/portrait-dhorace-vernet-dessin-de-paul-delaroche-61521.

This finely executed etching was printed by Chardon aîné (active in the 1850s–1860s) and published in Paris within the art periodical Gazette des Beaux-Arts, on 1 October 1863, spanning pages 320 to 321.

The print is in its final state—state iv (of iv)—after passing through three previous states. The initial state was solely executed in etching; the second featured an incomplete cravat and a half-modelled face possibly with engraving; the third achieved the desired effect with a darker background on the left. The fourth state, as shown here, includes the publication details. It’s worth noting that Beraldi (1887) describes four states, while Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève (IFF, 1954) suggest there are two.

The impression is strong, though the inscribed artist’s details are faint. The sheet is in near-pristine condition—free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or stains. The image is trimmed within the plate mark, and the sheet has been backed with archival-quality washi paper for support and broad margins.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 25.3 x 17.4 cm

Plate lettering below the image:

• Left: “Gazette des Beaux-Arts”

• Left-of-centre (faint): “Pl Delaroche Del^t”

• Centre: “Horace Vernet”

• Right-of-centre (faint): “F. Galliard sculp^t”

• Right: “Imp. Chardon aîné, 30 r. Hautefeuille Paris.”

References:

• Beraldi 9 (Henri Beraldi, Les Graveurs du Dix-Neuvième Siècle: DORÉ –GAVARD, 1887, vol. VI, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 198, cat. no. 9) — https://archive.org/details/lesgraveursdu19e06berauoft/page/198/mode/2up
• IFF 24 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève, Inventaire du Fonds, Français: Graveurs du XVIIe Siècle, 1954, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Département des Estampes, vol. 8, p. 315, cat. no. 24) — https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5489221t/f327.item

Price & Shipping:

AU$242 (approximately US$162.48 / €138.01 / £120.33), inclusive of worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this technically outstanding and visually stunning etching by one of the most skilled 19th-century engravers—a true masterwork—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Antonio Tempesta, “Roma and Batavia Shaking Hands”, 1611, after Otto van Veen

Antonio Tempesta (circa 1555–1630)
“Roma and Batavia Shaking Hands”, 1611

Technical Details & Condition:

This etching on fine laid paper retains the margins as originally published, with Latin letterpress text verso. It is plate 1, the frontispiece to a series of 36 plates (excluding the title page [TIB 35.560–595]) illustrating “The War of the Romans Against the Batavians” (Romanorvm et Batavorvm societas). The work is after a design by the Flemish painter and Rubens's teacher, Otto van Veen (also known as Octavio van Veen, Otho Vaenius, and Otho Venius) (1556–1629). The scene symbolically depicts the alliance between ancient Rome and the Germanic tribes (Batavians). The two figures shaking hands represent personifications of Roma (Rome) and Batavia (the Netherlands/Germanic tribes), positioned between the rivers of their respective worlds, personified as river gods: Tiberis (Tiber), Rhenus (Rhine), and Mosa (Meuse). The composition is further enriched by legendary figures Romulus and Remus, suckled by a she-wolf, reinforcing the allegorical theme of peace and unity between these peoples.

The impression is strong and well-printed, showing no signs of wear to the printing plate. The sheet, aside from areas of slight thinness and minor chips in the margins, is in excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 20.8 x 24 cm
• Plate mark: 16.8 x 21.2 cm
• Image border: 14.7 x 20.7 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Within the roundel border: “(I) AVORVM SOCIETAS. ROMANORVM ET BAT:”
• Within the image: “ROMA”; “BATAVIA”; “TIBERIS”; “RHENVS”; “MOSA”
• Below the roundel at centre: “Ant. Tempest f. anno 1611”

References:

• TIB 35.560 (Sebastian Buffa [ed.], The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Antonio Tempesta, 1984, vol. 35, New York, Abaris Books, p. 289, cat. no. 35.560)
• TIB 3501.497 (Eckhard Leuschner, The Illustrated Bartsch: Antonio Tempesta, 2007, vol. 35, Part 2 [Commentary], New York, Abaris Books, p. 107, cat. no. [3501] .497)
• Also see the detailed descriptions and images of this print available from the Rijksmuseum (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200478682) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/401390).

Price & Shipping:

AU$302 (approximately US$203.18 / €172.56 / £150.49), inclusive of worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this significant first plate of the series “The War of the Romans Against the Batavians,” please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold 

Georges Lopisgich, “Italianate Coastal Landscape”, 1901 (2nd impression)

Georges Lopisgich (also known as Antonio Georges Lopisgich) (1854–1913)

“Italianate Coastal Landscape” (descriptive title only) — a composition possibly inspired by Camille Corot (1796–1875), c.1901. This is a pencil-signed proof impression featuring a remarque image of a twig and flower with the artist’s monogram (located at left-of-centre in the lower margin), along with publication details (at the upper right edge).

Please note that this is the second impression of Lopisgich’s large etching I have showcased. The previous copy (without remarque or publication details) is still available: https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2023/09/georges-lopisgichs-drypoint-italianate.html

Technical Details & Condition:

Drypoint on parchment printed in Paris and published in Paris, London, and New York by Manzi-Joyant (Michel Manzi, Maurice Joyant, and Jean Boussod). This is a richly inked and pencil-signed proof impression with wide margins. The impression features a remarque image of a botanical study, alongside the artist’s monogram.

Aside from the natural unevenness and minor wrinkling associated with sheep skin (parchment), as well as scattered spots in the margin, the large sheet remains in good condition. There are no tears, holes, folds, or significant stains within the image.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 54.5 x 65 cm
• Plate mark: Too soft for accurate measurement
• Image border: 44.1 x 56 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Above the image border at right: “Copyright 1901 by Manzi, Joyant & C^o., Publishers, Successors to Goupil & C^o., Paris, London, New York & Berlin_Printed in Paris”
• Within the image border at lower right: “[Artist’s signature] 1901”
• Below the image border (left of centre, with remarque): “[Artist’s monogram]”

Pencil-signed in the margin at lower right.

Price & Shipping:

AU$332 (approximately US$223.03 / €189.37 / £165.21), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this rare pencil-signed remarque-state drypoint printed on an extraordinarily large sheet of genuine parchment, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to send a PayPal invoice to ensure your purchase is straightforward and secure.