Abraham Genoels’ etching, “Road by a Rocky Slope”, c.1680

Abraham Genoels (aka Archimedes; Abraham Genoels II; Abraham Genoel; A. G.) (1640–1723)

“Road by a Rocky Slope” (TIB title), c.1680, from a series of six etchings of landscapes (see BM S.2708–2721).

Etching on fine laid paper with margins.

Size: (sheet) 18.5 x 23.2 cm; (plate) 13.1 x 15.9 cm; (image borderline) 12.4 x 15.4 cm

Lettered below the image borderline: (left) "A. Genoels, fé.”; (right) Cum. priuil. Reg."

TIB 5 (4). 38 (347) (Walter L Strauss [Ed.] 1979, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists”, vol. 5, Abaris Books, New York, p. 327); Bartsch IV.348.38.I (Adam Bartsch 1803, “Le Peintre graveur”, 21 vols, Vienna); Regnault-Delalande 1817 149.38 (F-L Regnault-Delalande 1817, “Catalogue Raisonné des Estampes du Cabinet de M le Comte Rigal”, Paris, chez l'auteur); Weigel 1843 211.38.I (Rudolph Weigel 1843, “Suppléments au Peintre-Graveur de Adam Bartsch”, Vol.I, Leipzig, Rudolph Weigel);  Hollstein 38.I (F W H Hollstein 1949, “Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts c.1450-1700”, Amsterdam)

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Landscape with figures walking on a road in the centre, a pyramid and a round temple beyond the road, trees on the left, a lake or a river to the right, mountains in the background; from a series of six prints showing landscapes” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3036312&partId=1&searchText=Genoels&images=true&page=1)

State i (of ii?) before the address of the publisher (Adam François van der Meulen) inscribed in the second state; see a copy of the second state at the British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3036312&partId=1&searchText=Genoels&images=true&page=1

Condition: near faultless impression with generous margins in very good condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds or abrasions, but there are a few light marks from use—more on the back than the front of the sheet).

I am selling this small but beautifully luminous print for AU$218 (currently US$162.29/EUR145.19/GBP126.85 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this very rare etching by Genoels (mindful that all etchings by this highly sought after artist are rare), 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

In an earlier post regarding a circular print, “Tobias and the Angel”, I discussed the British Museum’s attribution of that particular print to Genoels rather than to Chiboust and argued that Genoels’ style seemed to be at odds with the treatment of line shown in the circular print. In that discussion I offered a few broad generalisations about Genoels’ style by proposing that his line work has the attribute of what artist’s term as “openness” (i.e. Genoels draws his subjects loosely and freely leaving lots of paper showing between each stroke as opposed to a style where the line work is tightly controlled and densely laid). I also made the rather sweeping comment that “Genoels’ trees are usually represented with rounded strokes that give the foliage a rather fluffy look.” Of course, not everyone would agree with this assessment—life would be a dull place if everyone agreed with generalisations—but to my eyes this etching has the “rounded strokes” in the foliage that I was visualising at the time.

If I were to point out just a single feature in this print that illustrates why Genoels is a master draughtsman it would be the treatment of light and shade exhibited on the rock face next to the figures in the middle distance. My reason for choosing this particular rock face is that true masters like Genoels know that a rock lit with strong light will seem solid if the shadow side of the rock is shaded so that its darkest aspect lies at the line of transition separating the rock’s shadow side from its lit side. If one looks closely at the pattern of light and shade on this rock face this adjustment of tone is clear. Going further, note also how Genoels applies the same principle by darkening the foliage behind the lit side of the rock.