Sebald Beham's woodcut, “The Betrayal”, 1535

Sebald Beham (aka Sebald Peham; Hans Sebald Beham) (1500–1550)

Note: there are inconsistencies signifying that this may be a deceptive copy (e.g. the complete framing edge to this impression rather than the breaks to the image borderline as shown in the BM copy [1853,0312.250] which could be infilled “improvements” made by a past restorer who filled in the gaps or simply that this is an early impression before the deterioration of the framing edge).

“The Betrayal”, 1535, from the series of eight plates, “The Passion”.

The Curator of the British Museum offers the following insight about the series:

“Beham initially produced six woodcuts for this series in 1521 and 1522. He added the remaining two (the Betrayal and Christ before Caiaphas) in 1535” (BM no. 1853,0709.87).

Woodcut on laid paper with narrow margins and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 13.1 x 8.9 cm; (image borderline) 12.8 x 8.6 cm.

Signed with the artist's monogram and dated in the upper-right corner, “1535 / HSB”.

TIB 15(8).86(233) (Robert A Koch [ed.] 1978, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Early German Masters” vol. 15, New York, Abaris Books, p. 174);  Bartsch VIII.233.86; Pauli 1901-11 820 (Gustav Pauli 1901, “Hans Sebald Beham: Ein Kritisches Verzeichniss seiner Kupferstiche Radirungen und Holzschnitte”, 5 vols, Strasburg); Dodgson 1903, 1911 I.456.94 (Campbell Dodgson 1903, “Catalogue of Early German and Flemish Woodcuts in the Bristish Museum”, 2 vols, London, British Museum Trustees); Hollstein 820.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“The Betrayal; Christ surrounded by a group of soldiers, in the foreground St Peter striking Malchus with a knife. 1535 Woodcut”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1429463&partId=1&searchText=beham+woodcut&page=1

Condition: crisp impression printed with slightly grey ink (compared to the impressions in the BM and TIB) with narrow margins. The sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains) and is laid on a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this exceptionally rare woodcut by one of the most famous of the early German masters for the total price of AU$480 (currently US$332.34/EUR298.21/GBP263.19 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 16th century woodcut executed in the same year that Michelangelo started work on his fresco, “The Last Judgement”, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.