Hieronymus Wierix’s engraving, “St Dominic”, c1586, after Philips Galle

Hieronymus Wierix (aka Jerome Wierix; Hieronymus Wierx) (1553–1619)

“St Dominic” (aka St Dominicus; H. Dominicus de Guzmán; Domingo de Guzmán; Dominic of Osma; First Inquisitor; Patron Saint of Inquisition), c1586 (1563–before 1610 [Rijksmuseum dating]), from the series of four plates, “Mannelijke stichters van een religieuze orde” (Male Founders of Religious Orders) (Hollstein 1263–1266), after the design by Philips Galle (aka Philippe Galle; Philippus Gallaeus) (1537–1612) and published by Philips Galle in Antwerp.

Engraving on laid paper, trimmed with a thread margin around the platemark.

Size: (sheet) 16.3 x 12.7 cm; (plate) 16.1 x 12.3 cm; (inner image borderline) 12.5 x 10.4 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (centre) S. DOMINICVS”./ ZELO ZELATVS SVM PRO DNO DEO EXERCITVVM. III REG. 19./ Philipp. Galle invent. et excud. […] Hieronymus Wierix Sculpsit.”

State i (of iii) before Collaert’s address as publisher and before the addition of the number “8” of the second state and the erasure of this number in the third state.

Hollstein Dutch 1264 (Zsuzsanna van Ruyven-Zeman [comp.] 2004, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: The Wierix Family: Part VI”, vol. 64, Rotterdam, Sound and Vision Rijksprentenkabinet, p. 127, cat. no. 1264); Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1002 (Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx 1978, “Les Estampes des Wierix ... Catalogue Raisonné [Part II], Brussels, Bibliotheque Royale Albert, p. 184, cat. no. 1002, ill. p. 137); Alvin 775 (L Alvin 1866, “Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre des trois frères Jan, Jérome et Antoine Wierix”, Brussels); Le Blanc 592.

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print:

(Transl.) “Saint Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Order of the Preachers or Dominicans, in prayer before a crucifix. In the background left along the coastline, the saint greets a sailor who disembarks his boat. In the margin a Bible quote in Latin”

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.332059).

See also the description offered by the British Museum:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1859-0709-2945.

Note: Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx (1978) adds a further insight to the description offered by the Rijksmuseum by advising that the background scene shows St Dominic saving pilgrims from shipwreck—only one pilgrim portrayed in the engraving—going to Santiago de Compostela (Saint-Jacques de Compostelle) (p. 184).

Condition: strong (lifetime) impression trimmed slightly unevenly with a thread margin around the platemark. The sheet shows pale age-toning and there are minor signs of handling, otherwise the sheet is in excellent condition for its considerable age with no tears, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this small masterpiece of early engraving—note that the lines rendering the saint’s face and hands are so fine that a magnifying glass is needed to see them clearly!—for AU$310 in total (currently US$225.71/EUR190.87/GBP171.54 at the time of posting 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 superbly executed engraving showing the founder of The Dominican Order (aka The Order of Preachers) almost glowing with the exceptionally fine radiating lines of the nimbus surrounding his head, 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