David Kandel’s woodcut, “Rhinoceros”, 1550, after Albrecht Dürer

David Kandel (1520/25–1592/96)

“Rhinoceros”, 1550, after Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) (Meder 273), printed by Heinrich Petri (fl.c.1527–1577), published in a German edition of Sebastian Münster’s (1488–1552), “Cosmographia”, published in German from 1550 to 1628.

Woodcut with letterpress text printed recto and verso on fine laid paper (as published).

Size: (sheet) 30.7 x 19.9 cm; (Rhinoceros recto) 10 x 14.6 cm; (woodcut verso) 2.8 x 5.7 cm

With the monogram of David Kandel (entwined letters): “DK”

Hollstein 10p; Nagler 1858-79 II.1173.5; Bartsch IX.394.17

See also the description of this print held by the British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1536623&partId=1&searchText=david+Kandel&page=1

Note that the British Museum’s leaf featuring Kandel’s rhinoceros (see BM no. 1850,1014.988) is from the Latin edition of “Cosmographia” and features on the verso side a woodcut of “an elephant carrying various figures on a large saddle to right, by an anonymous printmaker”.

Condition: well-printed impression with full margins as published in near pristine condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or foxing).

I am selling this extremely rare woodcut for AU$350 (currently US$248.63/EUR216.46/GBP191.49 at the time of this listing) 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 superb woodcut in museum quality condition after Dürer’s famous “Rhinoceros”, 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

This woodcut by Kandel after Dürer’s famous “Rhinoceros” (1514) was a plate in a series of 22 illustrations for the enlarged edition of “Cosmographia”—the first publication offering descriptions of the world and, interestingly, the first to feature a map of the Americas—initially published in Basle in 1550 and republished another 15 times with German text with the last printing in 1628. The Curator of the British Museum advises that this enlarged edition “contained around 900 illustrations and 40 maps” (see BM no. 1850,1014.972).

For those who may not be familiar with Dürer’s depiction of a rhinoceros—an Indian rhinoceros I understand—the design of the woodcut is based on a sketch made by an unidentified artist when the portrayed rhino was in Lisbon. Essentially, Dürer never had the chance to see this particular animal as the rhino drowned when the ship that was transporting it from Lisbon to Rome became shipwrecked. What Kandel/Dürer have depicted in their illustration of a rhino is consequently a concoction of rhino details and understandably, some are not quite right, such as an “extra” horn on the neck of the animal and the marvellous patterning of spots on its hide.