Wenceslaus Hollar’s etching, “Dance of Cherubs in the Country”, 1646, after Peeter van Avont

Wenceslaus Hollar (aka Václav Hollar; Wenzel Hollar) (1607–1677)

“Dance of Cherubs in the Country” (Pennington title) (aka “Seven Dancing Putti”), 1646, first state, lifetime impression of plate 7 from the series of twelve plates, “Putti and Satyrs” (aka “Pædopægnion”) after, and published by, Peeter van Avont (aka Pieter van Avont) (1600–1652) in Antwerp. See the title plate to this series and description of the series offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0612-225.

Etching on laid paper with margins around the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 17.1 x 25 cm; (platemark) 13.1 x 21 cm.

Inscribed on the plate: (lower right) “Petrus van Avont inu et ex, W: Hollar [fecit]”

Lifetime impression, state i (of ii) before numbering with “7” in lower right corner.

Pennington 502 (Richard Pennington 1982, “A Descriptive Catalogue of the Etched Work of Wenceslaus Hollar 1607–1677”, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 78, cat. no. 502); New Hollstein (German) 855.I.

Pennington (1982) offers the following description of this print:

“Seven cherubs dancing a round. A distant landscape on l[eft]” (p. 78).

See also the description offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_Q-5-488.

Condition: a slightly over-wiped impression with thinning and surface marks in the image area and along the upper plate edge (possibly serendipitous marks occurring during the printing process. Beyond these issues, the sheet is a good condition with no tears, folds, significant stains or foxing and has been laid upon a support of archival (millennium quality) wash paper.

I am selling this sensitively executed and exceptionally rare lifetime impression, for AU$423 (currently US$327.17/EUR268.31/GBP230.77 at the time of this listing) 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 decorative panel of chubby putti dancing in a circle, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.