Valentin Lefebre (aka Valentin Le Fevre; Valentin
Le Febre; Valentin Lefebure; Valentin Lefèvre) (1637–1677)
"St Jerome in the Wilderness”, 1682, in reverse after Titian’s (1490–1576) painting, “Saint Jerome in
Penitence”, 1550–55, in the Pinacoteca di Brera (aka Brera
Museum, Milan), published in Venice by Jacobus van Campen (fl.1682) in
the series of 53 plates, “Opera selectiora quae Titianus Vecellius Cadubriensis
et Paulus Calliari Veronensis inventarunt ac pinxerun.”
Etching on laid paper trimmed
along the image borderline with loss of the lines of text below the image and
backed with a support sheet.
Size: (support sheet) 46.4 x
33.5 cm.
Lifetime/early impression
before burin retouching by Johann Gottfried Seuter (aka Gottifredo
Saiter) (1717–1809).
Hollstein 1-53 (F W H
Hollstein 1953, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca. 1450–1700:
L'Admiral–Lucas van Leyden”, vol. 10, Amsterdam, Menno Hertzberger, p. 46, cat. no. 1-53); Ruggeri I.15 (Ugo Ruggeri 2001, “Valentin Lefèvre: Dipinti, Disegni, Incisioni”, Manerba,
Merigo Art Books, p. 215, cat. no. I. 15).
The British Museum offers the
following description of this print:
“St Jerome in the wilderness,
after Titian, with the saint kneeling before a cross, holding a stone in his
left hand, his right hand grasping the stone upon which stands the cross; a
lion and a lizard at his feet, to left; a skull, an hourglass and several books
on a rock behind him, to the right; trees in background.”
The Curator of the British
Museum also advises:
“This is a copy in reverse
after the painting by Titian, formerly in the Church of Santa Maria Nuova in
Venice, but transferred to Milan to the Accademia di Brera” (ibid).
See also the description of
this print at the Rijksmuseum:
Condition: Strong impression trimmed
along the image borderline with loss of text below the image and laid onto a
support sheet of millennium quality washi paper. The sheet has mellowed with
age-toning to a light ochre colour and there are replenished losses to the left
edge and upper right corner (almost invisible) and other minor nicks and tears within
the image (now restored).
I am selling this large etching
full of symbolism—for example, the vanitas symbols of the skull and hourglass
behind the saint alluding to the transience of life, the lizard climbing up the
rock upon which the saint rests his knee symbolising devilish temptation and
the ivy further up the rock may hint at the wood of the cross—for AU$334
(currently US$232.96/EUR205.51/GBP184.82 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 exceptional etching that almost shimmers in the complex rhythms
of lines, 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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