Prints and Principles

Most of the recent posts give details about individual prints and earlier posts discuss some of the subtle principles guiding artists in making images meaningful and memorable. For prints that are unsold, click "Items still available for sale" below. All other prints are no longer available. My contact email is oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com and my Instagram username is @printsandprinciples. I have created a separate blog to show my own work: https://printsandprinciplesjamesbrown.blogspot.com

Saturday, 18 January 2025

Jan Luyken, “Herod Fights the Robbers in their Caves”, 1708

Jan Luyken (aka Johannes Luyken) (1649–1712)

“Herod Fights the Robbers in their Caves” (aka. “Herodes Beoorlogt de Roovers inde Rotsen door Soldaaten die in Kisten aan yzere kettingen hangende door windaasen neergelaaten worden” [Herod Fights the Robbers in the Rocks by Soldiers Hanging in Chests on Iron Chains and Lowered by Windlasses]; “Herod Conquers Jerusalem”), 1708, published by Jan Covens (aka Johannes Covens) (1697–1774) and his brother-in-law, Corneille Mortier (aka Cornelis Mortier) (fl.1688–c.1708) in 1729 as plate 62 on page 355 of “Icones Biblicae Veteris et Novi Testamenti”.

Etching on laid paper with full margins and centre-fold as published.

Size: (sheet) 56 x 61 cm; (plate) 33.3 x 42.4 cm; (image borderline) 32 x 41.7 cm.

Lettered in the plate below the image borderline: (left) “Edit. à J. Cóvens et C. Mortier.”; (centre) “Herodes Beoorlogt de Roovers inde Rotsen door Soldaaten die in Kisten aan yzere kettingen hangende door windaasen neergelaaten worden.”; (right) “Pag. 355./ “62”.

Van Eeghen 3743.67 (Pieter van Eeghen & Johan Philip van der Kellen 1905, “Het werk van Jan en Casper Luyken”, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller & Co., vol. 2, p. 666, cat. no. 3743.67 [see https://archive.org/details/hetwerkvanjanen01kellgoog/page/666/mode/2up]).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200396215.

Interestingly, Jan Luyken executed an etching in 1698 that features a small section of this much larger composition, used as an illustration to volume 2 of Flavius Josephus’ “Des wijdt-vermaerden Joodschen Historieschrijvers Boecken”; see https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200224208.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with generously wide margins and flattened centrefold. The sheet is in an excellent (near pristine) condition for its considerable age and size with no tears, holes, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this huge etching showing the Roman’s windlass system for lowering soldiers in boxes to access their foes who are literally holed up in mountainside caves, for AU $317 in total (currently US $196.36/ EUR 191.12/ GBP 161.38 at the time of posting this print) 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 $317) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this amazing scene of Roman battle engineering, 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