Jan Saenredam’s engraving, “Lot and His Two Daughters”, 1597, after Hendrik Goltzius

Jan Saenredam (c1565–1607)

“Lot and His Two Daughters” (TIB title), 1597, after Hendrik Goltzius (aka Hendrick Goltzius) (1558–1617), with verses by the Dutch writer, Cornelis Schonaeus (1541–1611), published in Haarlem by Johannes Janssonius (aka Joannes Jansonius; Jan Jansson; Jan Jansz) (1588–1664) with privilege by Rudolph II of Habsburg.

Engraving on fine laid paper trimmed unevenly along the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 20.7 x 26.4 cm; (image borderline) 19.1 x 26.1 cm

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower left) "HGoltzius Inuent. ISaenredam Sculpt. Ao.1597"; (lower centre) "J. Jansonius exc.";  (right of centre) "Cum privil. Sa. Cæ. M."

Lettered on plate below the image borderline in two lines of Latin text in two columns: "Deflagrasse omnem ... / ... thalamoq[ue] fruuntur. / C. Schonæus."

State iii (of iii) with the name the publisher, Johannes Janssonius.

TIB Bartsch 4 (3). 41 (234) (Walter L Strauss [ed.] 1980, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists”, Abaris Books, New York, vol. 4, p. 357); Hollstein 326 (after Hendrik Goltzius); New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) 390.III (Hendrick Goltzius; Prints after inventions by Goltzius); Hollstein 9.III (Saenredam); Bartsch III.234.41

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Lot and his Daughters. The old man reclining on a bed and fondling the breast of his naked daughter who holds up a glass of wine and lies on a plump cushion, Lot's other daughter seen from behind and standing before a table and reaching for a drinking jug, a dog in lower right corner; third state with address of Jansonius; after Hendrik Goltzius.”

(http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3047903&partId=1&searchText=Saenredam+lot&page=1)

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.169292

Condition: crisp, well-inked and well-printed impression trimmed along the platemark and backed with a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There are minor restorations (I cannot see where they are but I know that there are a few) otherwise the sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, creases, abrasions or foxing).

I am selling this exceedingly rare engraving of exceptional quality for the total cost of AU$452 (currently US$329.35/EUR282.27/GBP253.17 at the time of posting this print) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this finely rendered image rich in biblical and symbolic references—note for example the rather splendid dog in the foreground at right (symbolic of fidelity?), the grapes on the lower left (symbolic of bacchanalian revelry and Christ’s blood?) and the eye-catching twisting handle of snakes on the wine ewer in the foreground (symbolic of fertility?)— 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

I made a terrible blunder earlier this evening when showing this print to a prospective client as I assumed that the portrayed subject was “Susanna and the Elders”—a Biblical rape described in the “Book of Daniel” (see Chapter 13)—because the composition is similar to my earlier post of Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine’s etching, “Susanna and the Elders”. Mmm … I should have looked more carefully. After all, this young woman being fondled by an elderly gentleman is engaged in offering a glass of wine to her ardent elderly fondler. In fact, this elderly gentleman is the young woman’s father, called “Lot.” (Yikes!) The reason for this unseemly behaviour is simply because all of humanity was being destroyed at the time by “fire and brimstone” and Lot’s family is all that remains of living folk to repopulate the earth. Hence Lot’s daughters have made their father drunk so that he will have his way with them to make lots of children. As an indication of how bad things had become by the time that Lot’s daughters set out on their maternal quest, note that in the background is a standing figure. This is their mother who has recently been turned into a pillar of salt when she chose to ignore God’s command not to look towards the destruction of the city of Sodom, portrayed ablaze in the far distance. For those intrigued by this fascinating Bible story of Lot and his daughters, see Genesis: 24–26 and 31–34.