Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswert’s engravings, “Sancta Marcella” & “Sancta Sylvia,” c1600

Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswert (aka Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswerd) (1580–1633)

(left) “Sancta Marcella” and (right) “Sancta Sylvia,” c1600 (1590–1612), plates 14 and 24 from the series of 25 plates, “Sacra Eremus Ascetriarum,” after the design by Abraham Bloemaert (1564/66–1651), first published in 1612 by Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswert in “Sylva Anachoretica Ægypti et Palæstinæ” and later in 1619, by Hendrik Aertssens (II) (aka Henderick Aertsens; Henricus Aertsius) (1586–1658), in Antwerp. Note: the Rijksmuseum believes (transl.) “that the prints of the 1619 edition were also printed in 1612 or slightly before” (see inv. nos. RP-P-BI-2301 & RP-P-BI-2311).

“Sylva Anachoretica Ægypti et Palæstinæ” in which these prints feature may be viewed online and downloaded free-of-charge at archive.org; see the following URL links for the context of each of these prints: https://archive.org/details/Bloemaert1619SylvaAnachoretica/page/n93/mode/2up;

https://archive.org/details/Bloemaert1619SylvaAnachoretica/page/n113/mode/2up.  

Engravings on laid paper trimmed (with replenished losses) around the platemark and backed with separate support sheets.

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“Sancta Marcella”

Size: (sheet) 14.4 x 9.4 cm; (image borderline) 13.2 x 8.9 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower right corner) “Bols. fecit”.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (centre with replenished losses) “Sancta Marcella.”

Hollstein Dutch 133 (F.W.H. Hollstein 1950, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: Boekhorst – Brueghel,” vol. 3, Amsterdam, Menno Hertzberger,, p. 63, cat. no. 133); Roethlisberger 203 (Marcel George Roethlisberger 1993, “Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons: Paintings and Prints,” Doornspijk, Davaco, pp. 171–175, 182, cat. no. 203).

The Rijksmuseum offers a description of this print: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.collect.83968.

Condition: good impression, but in a poor condition with replenished losses to the lower and right edges, trimmed around the plate mark and laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

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“Sancta Sylvia”

Size: (sheet) 14.3 x 9 cm: (image borderline) 13 x 8.6 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “24.”; (centre) “Sancta Syluia.”

Note: there is additional text at lower right, “Mar […]”, but this is possibly text from another print incorrectly added during the restoration process.

Hollstein Dutch 143; Roethlisberger 213

The Rijksmuseum offers a description of this print:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.collect.84001.

Condition: good impression, but in a restored condition with replenished losses to the lower margin (see note above regarding possibly inappropriately added text), trimmed around the plate mark and laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

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I am selling this pair of engravings of hermitesses for the total cost of AU$238 for the pair (currently US$175.08/EUR147.09/GBP131.29 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) 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 restored pair of beautifully executed engravings from the early 1600s, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.