Felix Meyer’s etching, “Riverscape with Three Travellers”, 1675

Felix Meyer (1653–1713)

"Riverscape with Three Travellers" (aka “Paysage où sont trois personnages assis à g” [Landscape in which are three figures seated on the left] Le Blanc title; “Am Flußufer” [At the Riverbank]), 1675, plate number 73, published by Johann Christoph Weigel (1661­–1726).

Etching on fine laid paper ("Aescuiapian Staff" watermark) trimmed with a small margin around the image borderline.

Size: (unevenly trimmed sheet) 12.9 x 16.6 cm; (image borderline) 12.1 x 15.6 cm.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) "I. C. Weigel exc."; (right) "N^o. 73."

Le Blanc 38 (Charles Le Blanc 1857, “Manuel de l'Amateur d'Estampes: Melchiori–Pencz”, Paris, P Jannet, p. 21, cat. no. 38; see https://archive.org/details/manueldelamateu00unkngoog/page/n27/mode/2up).

Meyer is one of the famous Swiss old masters, but rarely does one get a really good insight into such an artist's persona than the following account offered in Sholto and Reuben Percy's (1852) "The Percy Anecdotes", Vol. 4:

"An Abbot of St. Florian, Austria, being desirous to have two grand apartments painted in fresco ... applied to Felix Meyer, who was then on his travels, for his advice as to the manner in which he would have it executed. Meyer ... viewed the place for a few minutes; and then taking a long stick, to which he fastened a piece of charcoal, he immediately began to design, saying, 'Here I would have a tree:' which he marked out as quick as possible. 'At the remote distance I would represent a forest thus: here a fall of water, tumbling from great rocks,' and so on. As fast as he spoke, he designed, and deprived the Abbot of the power of expressing his approbation, so much he was lost in astonishment, to see a design with such elegance and taste, executed even without any time being allowed for reflection. At the Abbot's request, Meyer undertook to finish the design; which he completed in the course of the summer. This adventure spread the reputation of Meyer through all Germany; and was thenceforward continually employed by the princes and nobility in Europe" (pp. 136–37).

Condition: a strong impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate, trimmed on, or slightly within, the plate mark. The sheet is in a near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this rare etching by Felix Meyer—so rare that I haven’t found another copy of it in any of the major museums! —for the total cost of AU$227 (currently US$164.99/EUR140.64/GBP120.11 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 idyllic scene by a major Swiss old master showing resting travellers chatting beside a stream on the left and cascades on the right with a distant view of an Italianate styled building and cypress—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.