Paul Bril's etching, “Riverscape with a Shepherd on a Hill”, 1590

Paul Bril (aka Paulus Brill; Paolo Brillo) (c1553/4­–1626)

“Riverscape with a Shepherd on a Hill” (Philaphedphi\a Museum of Art title), 1590, from the series of two plates, “Views of the Coast of Campania”, published by Giovanni Orlandi (fl.1590–1640) in Rome.

Etching with engraving on fine laid paper trimmed with thread margins along the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 20.4 x 28 cm

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower right corner) "Paulus Bril Inuent./ & Fecit."

State iii/iv (of iv) the trimming of the margin with the publication details makes the attribution of the state difficult, but the state is after the second state as the date, “1590", following “Fecit” shown in state two is erased.

Hollstein 2.III/IV (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 two men in a small rowing boat on a river at centre, trees at left, several shepherds with their flock of sheep on a hill at right, a city and mountains in the background at right; ….”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3023299&partId=1&searchText=Paul+Bril&page=1)

See also the description of this print at the Rijksmusueum:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.38229; and a very good contextual explanation of it offered by Te Papa Tongarewa:

https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/42211

See also reference to this print in Eckhard Leuschner’s (2012), “Ein Priviligiertes Medium Und Die Bildkulturen Europas : Deutsche, Franzosische Und Niederlandische Kupferstecher Und Graphikverleger in ROM Von 1590 Bis 1630”, Munich, Hirmer Verlag GmbH, p. 29.

Condition: crisp but slightly grey impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate, trimmed with thread margins around the image borderline and is missing the text lines below the borderline. Apart from a replenished chipped lower right corner, the sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, folds, holes, abrasions, significant stains or foxing). The sheet is backed with a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this early etching that is of the utmost rarity by one of the major oldmasters whose collaborations with Jan Brueghel the Elder, Adam Elsheimer and Hans Rottenhammer had a profound influence on the direction of landscape imagery, for AU$583 in total (currently US$418.34/EUR368.81/GBP331.61at the time of posting 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 masterwork exemplifying the notion of “Weltlandschaft” (World Landscape) and a 16^th century fascination with topothesia (fictional places), 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