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Wednesday 11 September 2019

(Publisher) Gerard de Jode's engraving, “First Vision of Ezra: the Son of God Crowns the Crowd”, 1585


Unidentified engraver from the school of the southern Netherlands
(Publisher) Gerard de Jode (aka Geeraert de Jode; Gheerde de Jode; Girard de Jode; Gerardo de Jode; Gheraerde de Jode) (1516/17–1591)

“First Vision of Ezra: the Son of God Crowns the Crowd”, 1585, plate 1 from the series of four engravings, “Visions of Ezra” (aka “Van Esdras and Nehemias”), after Maarten de Vos (aka Marten de Vos; Maerten de Vos) (1532–1603), published by Gerard de Jode in 1585 as an illustration to “Thesaurus sacrarum historiaru[m] veteris (et novi) testame[n]ti, elega[n]tissimis imaginibus expressu[m] excelle[n]tissimoru[m] in hac arte viroru[m] opera: nu[n]c primu[m] in luce[m] editus” ([Google transl.] "Treasure of sacred stories old and new, elegant expressed finest pictures of her art works now for the first time to light"), in Amsterdam.

Engraving on fine laid paper backed with a support sheet.
Size: (sheet) 25.2 x 33.3 cm; (plate) 20.4 x 29.8 cm; (image borderline) 19.4 x 29.4 cm.
Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower left) “G. d. Jode Excu.”; (on book held by Ezra) “M. d. vos / inuentor”; (lower centre) “1”.
Lettered on plate in Latin below the image borderline: “Turbam in monte deum laudantium cernit Esdras, coronisar in capite et palmis in manibus, decorari. 4. Esd. Cap.2.”

State i (of ii) Lifetime impression published in 1585 before the additional number ("I") inscribed on the lower right and the publication details for Claes Jansz. Visscher (II) signifying the second state published in 1643 (see the second state impression held by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.554333)

Hollstein Dutch 162–1 (2) (Dieuwke de Hoop Scheffer [ed.] 1996, [Hollstein’s] “Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: Maarten de Vos [text]”, vol. 44, Rotterdam, Sound & Vision Rijksprentenkabinet, pp. 44-45, cat. no. 162); Mielke 33 (H Mielke 1975, “Antwerpener graphic in the second half of the 16th century. The Thesaurus Veteris Testamenti of Gerard de Jode [1585] and his Artists”, Zeitschrift fur Kunstgeschichte 38, p. 80, cat. no. 33).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print:
(transl.) “Ezra sits in the foreground on the right and is pointed to a vision by an angel. Ezra sees the Son of God on Mount Zion, who crowns the people and hands out their palm branches. Below the performance a reference in Latin to the apocryphal Bible text in 4 Ezra 2.”

See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum:
“To left, Ezra, seated, with an open book on his lap, turning towards the archangel Uriel; behind, a vision of God the Father crowning figures, seen holding palm leaves”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art also offers a description of this print:

Condition: richly inked, crisp, near faultless, museum-quality impression with margins in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing), laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this exceptionally rare lifetime impression glowing with strong contrasts for AU$320 in total (currently US$219.77/EUR199.61/GBP177.92 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 superb engraving exemplifying the period style of Mannerism, 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











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