Workshop of Jacob van Meurs, “De Stadt St. Martin”, c. 1671

Attributed to the workshop of Jacob van Meurs (c. 1617–1679)

“De Stadt St. Martin” (The City of St. Martin) / “Urbs Martini”, c. 1671

Overview:

Saint Martin is situated in the north-eastern Caribbean, approximately 300 km east of Puerto Rico. Famously the smallest inhabited island in the world divided between two nations (the Dutch Sint Maarten and the French Saint-Martin). This exceptional engraving captures the island during one of its most volatile historical periods.

Historical Background:

The scene depicts a pivotal moment in Caribbean colonial history: the 1644 Siege of Saint Martin. The composition illustrates a powerful Dutch naval squadron attempting to recapture the island from Spanish forces.

The assault was led by the legendary Peter Stuyvesant—the future Director-General of New Amsterdam (modern-day New York City). This engagement is of immense historical significance as the site where Stuyvesant was struck by a Spanish cannonball, resulting in the loss of his right leg and the eventual retreat of the Dutch fleet.

Compositional Details

In the distance, the rugged topography of the island is visible, featuring the burning Spanish fortifications of Fort Amsterdam (identified in the legend as “A”) and a smaller, active citadel on the headland (marked “B”) with cannons blazing.

The foreground showcases Dutch warships in strategic formation within the Great Bay. Of particular interest to naval historians is the absence of the “GWC” (Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie) monogram on the Dutch tricolour flags. This detail signifies that the fleet consisted of official national naval vessels rather than private merchant ships of the Dutch West India Company.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on fine laid paper, professionally conserved with a washi paper support sheet.

This plate originates from John Ogilby’s (1600–1676) monumental 1671 work, America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the New World. While the work was based on the research of Arnoldus Montanus, Ogilby’s English edition is prized for its superior production quality.

Numbered “6” in both lower corners and blank on the reverse, indicating it was issued as a standalone plate or part of a specialised pictorial suite rather than the standard text-bound edition.

The impression is richly inked and well-printed—a lifetime impression showing no signs of wear to the copper plate. Aside from minor surface marks, the sheet is in excellent condition with no significant stains or structural issues.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 32.3 x 38 cm
• Platemark: 28.3 x 37.2 cm
• Image borderline: 27.7 x 36.6 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Title Banderole: “DE STADT / ST. MARTIN”
• Upper Right Legend: “URBS MARTINI / A. .Arx. … S. Statio navium ante arcem.” (A 19-point alphabetical key).
• Plate Number: “6” (Inscribed in both lower corners).

References:

• Archive.org (David Rumsey Map Collection): https://archive.org/details/dr_view-de-stadt-st-martin-urbs-martini-12241076
• Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200434869
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1861-1109-466

Price & Shipping:

AU$524 (approx. US$377.71 / €322.19 / £278.22), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this exceptionally rare etching of significant historical importance, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice to ensure a smooth and protected transaction.

This print has been sold

Lucas Vorsterman I, “Cornelius Sachtleven”, c. 1645, after Anthony van Dyck

Lucas Vorsterman I (1595–1675)

“Cornelius Sachtleven”, circa 1645 

The subject of this portrait is the Dutch printmaker and painter, better known as Cornelis Saftleven (1607–1681). Renowned for his vivid images of hell, this may explain the monster on which Saftleven nonchalantly rests his arm—a creature that Henri Hymans (1972) tentatively identifies (possibly in error) as a hippopotamus (p. 194). The Latin inscription “HOLLANDVS PICTOR NOCTIVM PHANTASMATVM”—meaning “Dutch painter of nocturnal phantasms”—suggests that Saftleven’s work often explored dreamlike, nightmarish visions. The monster reflects Saftleven’s fascination with nocturnal fantasies and dreamlike visions.

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraving on laid paper with wide margins, professionally backed with fine washi paper. This impression is from the series after Anthony Van Dyck (1599–1641), “Icones Principum Virorum” (also known as “Icones Principum Virorum Doctorum Pictorum Chalcographorum Statuariorum nec non amatorum pictoriae artis numero centum ab Antonio Van Dyck Pictore ad vivum expressae, eiusq[ue] sumptibus aeri incisae”), published in Antwerp in the Hendrick & Cornelis Verdussen edition of 1720. 

The design of this portrait is based on Van Dyck’s preparatory chalk and wash drawing in the Amsterdam Historisch Museum. The impression is richly inked and flawlessly printed. Aside from a collector’s pencil notations at lower left, the sheet is in near pristine condition, free of tears, holes, folds, stains, or abrasions.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 37.8 x 25 cm
• Platemark: 24 x 15.8 cm
• Image borderline: 21.7 x 15.6 cm

In-Plate Lettering (along the writing edge):

• Left: “Ant. van Dyck pinxit. / LV [ligature] orsterman sculp.”
• Centre: “CORNELIVS SACHTLEVEN / HOLLANDVS PICTOR NOCTIVM PHANTASMATVM.”
• Right: “Cum priuilegio”

References:

• Hymans 208 (Henri Hymans, “Lucas Vorsterman, 1595-1675, et Son Oeuvre Gravé”, 1972, Amsterdam, G.W. Hissink & Co, pp. 194–195, cat. No. 208)
• New Hollstein 88 (van Dyck); Hollstein 199 (Vorsterman I); Mauquoy-Hendrickx 90
• Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200467695
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1863-0509-891  

Price & Shipping:

AU$288 (approx. US$207.60 / €177.08 / £152.93), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this rare and outstandingly portrait of Cornelis Saftleven, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth transaction.

This print has been sold

Charles Waltner, “Portrait of Sir John Everett Millais”, 1881, after Millais’ self-portrait

Charles Waltner (1846–1925)

“Portrait of Sir John Everett Millais”, 1881

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with plate tone on fine laid papier Japon. This is a rare artist’s proof impression, signed in pencil by Charles Waltner in the lower right margin. It bears the oval blindstamp of The British and Foreign Artists' Association (active 1880–1881) in the lower left, featuring the central initials “MN,” used as a certification mark to authenticate and limit proof impressions—see The Fine Art Trade Guild explanation: https://www.fineart.co.uk/buying/stamp_of_authenticity.aspx. 

This etching is based on the 1879 self-portrait by Sir John Everett Millais (1829–1896), now housed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence (see https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millais_-_Self-Portrait.jpg). Millais was a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and later served as President of the Royal Academy of Arts. 

Note that this image was later reproduced as a collotype with the title “John Everett Millais. R A” and the production detail “ETCHED BY CH. WALTNER” at lower right; see the collotype at the National Portrait Gallery (London): https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw142162/Sir-John-Everett-Millais-1st-Bt. 

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 43.2 x 28.7 cm
• Platemark: 31.8 x 22.7 cm
• Image borderline: 26.7 x 19.8 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper left: “Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1881 by Knoedler & C^o in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”
• Upper right: “Published London January 1^st 1881 by The British & Foreign Artists Association”
• Lower left: “J. E. Millais R. A.”
• Lower right: “'Waltner sc.”

References:

• Beraldi 81 (Henri Beraldi, Les Graveurs du XIX^e Siècle: SAINT-MARCEL- ZWINGER, 1892, vol. XII, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 263, cat. no. 81)
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1912-1219-1

Price & Shipping:

AU$290 (approx. US$207.72 / €177.62 / £153.71), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this rare, pencil-signed artist’s proof etching of John Everett Millais by Charles Waltner, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth transaction.

This print has been sold

Adolphe Mouilleron, “Faulheit”, c. 1850

Adolphe Mouilleron (1820–1881)—described by Henri Beraldi (1890) as “the prince of colourist lithographers,” further remarking: “In his hand, the greasy crayon becomes, just as colour does in the hands of true painters, a precious-looking material; plastic, supple, rich: his lithographs are truly of superb quality…” (p. 153).

“Faulheit” (Idleness), c. 1850

Technical Details & Condition:

Two-stone lithograph, black with a warm grey tint stone on heavy wove paper. The image has an approximately 2.5–3 cm border and has been professionally mounted on washi paper to provide wide margins suitable for presentation and framing. 

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

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 26.7 x 20.3 cm
• Image borderline: 21 x 15 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Left: “Mouilleron lith.”
• Centre: “Faulheit.”

References:

• Beraldi, “Les Graveurs du XIXe Siècle: MEISSONIER – PIGUET”, 1890, vol. X, pp. 152–157.
• Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200236053

Price & Shipping:

AU$229 (approx. US$163.07 / €139.82 / £121.14), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

This evocative work captures the feeling of lethargy when worries melt away during a sail. To truly appreciate its insightful design—such as how the rigging rope on the left connects with the sailor's knife, and the chain of rigging links with the pipe held by the sailor on the right—consider viewing the image upside down. For purchase inquiries, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com, and I will provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless transaction.