Harmen Jansz. Muller, “Hirah the Adullamite with the Kid”, c.1566, after Maarten van Heemskerck (2nd copy)

Harmen Jansz. Muller (1540–1617)

“Hirah the Adullamite with the Kid” (aka “Hirah the Adullamite with the Kid, inquiring for the Harlot”; “Judah Orders Hira to Search for the Prostitute”; “Juda geeft Chira de opdracht om de prostituee te zoeken”), c.1566, after a drawing by Maarten van Heemskerck (aka Maarten van Veen; Martin Heemskerk) (1498–1574), plate 2 from the series of 4 engravings, “History of Judah and Tamar”, published by Claes Jansz. Visscher (II) (1586–1652) in Amsterdam between 1643 and 1646.

Engraving on fine laid paper with handwritten notes in brown ink by an old hand in the margin, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 26.9 x 31.5cm; (plate) 21.1 x 26.5cm; (image borderline) 19.6 x 25.9cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (lower right corner) “2/ MH [interlaced] eemskerck Inuen/ HMVL [interlaced] fe,”.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: “HAVD MORA PROMISSIS STAT IVDAS MITTIT ET HOEDVM AT SCORTVM HOC HÆSISSE LOCO CVNCTI ORE NEGABA[N]T/ Gene. 38.20.”

State ii (of ii) with the addition of the plate number “2”.

New Hollstein (Muller) 6 (Ger Luijten & Christiaan Schuckman [eds.] 1999, “The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700: The Muller Dynasty”, vol. 1, Rotterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet, p. 87, cat. no. 6); New Hollstein (Heemskerck) 40 (Ilja Veldman [comp.] 1993–94, “The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700: Maarten van Heemskerck”, vol. 1, Roosendaal, Koninklijke Van Poll, p. 51, cat. no. 40).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print (state ii): (transl.) “Judah orders his friend Hira to give a billy goat as a payment to the prostitute while pointing out the departing Tamar. Hira holds the goat under his arm and will search for the prostitute, but not find her. At the bottom of the margin a reference in Latin to the Bible text in Gen. 38:20” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.552731).

See also the description of this print at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/632500.

Condition: a well-printed impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate with wide margins and handwritten notes by an old hand in brown ink in the margin. Beyond a replenished spot in the upper margin at right, the sheet is in a good condition with no and is laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this exceedingly rare print executed by the father of Jan Harmensz. Muller for AU $323 in total (currently US $202.34/ EUR 197.44/ GBP 165.71 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 $323) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this fascinating scene of a father-in-law (the figure pointing) who slept with his daughter-in-law (the young woman with a staff at left) after mistaking her for a prostitute—perfectly understandable as mistakes happen!—directing his friend to deliver a billy goat as payment for her services with the hope of having the security on her services returned (viz. his seal, its cord, and staff), please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy. (My apologies if my account of the Biblical story of Judah and Tamar [Genesis 38] has too many inaccuracies.)

Note that this is the second impression of this print that I have listed. The previous copy has been sold.

This print has been sold