Aegidius Sadeler II’s engraving, "The Entombment”, c1600, after Agostino Carracci

Aegidius Sadeler II (aka Gillis Sadeler; Egidius Sadeler; Ægedius Sadeler) (c1570–1629)

"The Entombment”, c1600 (BM proposes the dates: 1585–1627), after Agostino Carracci’s (1557–1602) print (TIB39, B. 100 [92], p. 140; 3901.048).

Etching and engraving on fine laid paper trimmed slightly within the platemark and lined onto a support sheet.

Size: (sheet trimmed unevenly) 12.6 x 93 cm

Inscribed on the edge of Christ’s tomb: "MORS MEA VITA TVA / cum priuilegio S.C.M."

Lettered around the oval borderline: "OMNIS CREATVRA COMPATITVR CHRISTO MORIENTI SOLVS MISER HOMO NON COMPATITVR, PRO QVO SOLO CHRISTVS PATITVR." (Google transl. “Every creature is compatible only with Christ, dying poor human suffers, for whom Christ only to suffer.”

Signed in the plate at lower edge: (centre) “EG: Sadeler fecit ".

State i (of ii) Lifetime impression before the addition of the publication detail: “Marco Sadeler excudit.”

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“The entombment. Three angels holding Christ's body; in an oval; first state before publisher's address; after Agostino Carracci” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3040721&partId=1&searchText=Aegidius+Sadeler+entombment&page=1)

TIB 1997 7201.059 (vol. 72, Part 1, Supplement, p. 94); Nagler 1835–52, no. 109; Le Blanc, no. 24; Wurzbach, vol. 4 no. 38; Hollstein 1980, vol. 21, no. 57; Edquist, p. 419, no. 11b; Limouze 1990, p. 85.

Condition: richly inked, crisp and well-printed impression (with some abrasions) trimmed unevenly and slightly within the platemark. The sheet is in good condition with light age-toning and handling marks and has been laid upon a support sheet of fine washi paper.

I am selling this graphically strong and finely executed engraving by one of the great master printmakers of the late Renaissance for the total cost of AU$163 (currently US$127/EUR107.34/GBP96.29 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this physically small engraving expressing a grand vision of spiritual gravitas, 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

What I like about this print is the richness of velvety black background that seems to “float” the angels supporting Christ’s body. In fact, I see the black background as being like a spatial well or a void of unknown depth. The reason that I am drawing attention to this seemingly unimportant detail goes back to my experiences as a teacher ... let me explain.

At the beginning of my career I used to write on a blackboard with white chalk and never thought much about the idea of the black background behind my chalk jottings being like a spatial void “floating” my white writing. In truth, I never thought about this idea at all. A blackboard was simply a blackboard and there was no mystery about the thing!

Later in my career I shifted to write with a black marking pen on a whiteboard and then I noticed a difference. The marks I made “sat” on the board. They didn’t “float” as they had in the past. In short, the change opened my eyes to the reality of how the perception of space is affected by tone. Of course, this new finding made me into a lover of everything that was black. I never again used a white background for my PowerPoint slide shows and black was my background of choice … admittedly more of a very dark grey than a black. Although my students may not have been aware of the difference that the background made, I did. The images of paintings that I displayed in my slide shows seemed richer and more vibrant in colour laid on the black and had what I now see in this print: gravitas—love the word!