Daniel
Hopfer (1471–1536)
“The Blind Leading the Blind” (British
Museum’s descriptive title; see BM no. 2004,U.51), c.1520, panel 5 (lower left
panel) of 8 panels, from the large composite etching, “The Seven Woes” (aka
“Matthew 23.13ff” [TIB title]; “Les vices que Jésus Christ reproche aux scribes
et aux pharisiens …” [The vices that Jesus Christ reproaches the scribes and
the Pharisees …] [Bartsch title]), c1520, published by David Funck (fl.1682–1709)
in “Opera Hopferiana” in Nuremberg.
Iron etching on heavy laid paper trimmed
with a small margin around the borderline and stamped in ink verso with a
collector’s monogram.
Size: (sheet) 14 x 10.6 cm; (image
borderline) 13.2 x 9.9 cm.
Inscribed on plate within the image
borderline with the corresponding passage from Matthew 23.
Regarding the publication of the
Hopfer’s etchings, Robert A Koch (1981) in Vol. 7 of TIB advises in his
editor’s note: “In the 17th century a Nuremberg publisher named David Funck
numbered 230 of [… Hopfer’s] plates and issued a volume entitled ‘Opera
Hopferiana.’ In 1802 a publisher named C. Wilhelm Silberberg in
Frankfurt-am-Main reissued 92 plates with the Funck numbers in a volume which
he also entitled ‘Opera Hopferiana.’ These plates were printed on unnumbered
pages of a heavy wove paper.” Mindful of the two editions, as this impression
is on laid paper it is from Funck's 17th century edition.
Hollstein 34.I; Bartsch (1803) VIII.481.31;
TIB (1981) 17.31; Eyssen 32
The British Museum offers the following
description of this print:
“The blind leading the blind; clerics
giving a tenth of their earning on right; on left a man swallowing a camel;
fifth scene only of eight illustrations to Mathew 23, 13-31.”
The British Museum offers the following
description of the composite print in which this panel features:
“The seven woes; eight illustrations to
Mathew 23, 13-31; with Christ showing the apostles the misdeeds of the
pharisees, scribes and contemporary clerics. Etching”
Note: the fact that there are eight
panels rather than seven in the composite plate is an inconvenient truth in that there is
inconsistency in the numbers of woes cited in the gospels (viz. Matthew has
eight woes—Mathew 23, verses 13 to 16, 23, 25, 27 and 29—and these are
illustrated in this print; Luke has only six woes).
For those who may not be acquainted with
the woes that Christ identified in his criticism of hypocrisy and perjury, the
following verses may be helpful:
Matt. 23:13 (the first woe) “They taught
about God but did not love God …”
Matt. 23.15 (the third woe) “Woe to you,
teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea
to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as
much a child of hell as you are.”
Matt. 23:25–26 (the sixth woe and my
favourite) “They presented an appearance of being ‘clean’ (self-restrained, not
involved in carnal matters), yet they were dirty inside: they seethed with
hidden worldly desires, carnality. They were full of greed and
self-indulgence.”
Condition: richly inked and strong impression trimmed with margins near the image borderline in excellent
condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains,
foxing or signs of handling). There is an ink collector’s stamp verso.
I am selling this panel from a larger
composite etching of eight panels by the first artist to use etching for prints
on paper, for the total cost of AU$344 (currently US$235.50/EUR211.44/GBP179.73 at the time of posting this) including postage and handling to anywhere in the
world.
If you are interested in purchasing this
important old-master print—one of the earliest etchings ever made!—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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