Isaak Major’s etching, “View of a River with a Natural Arch”, c1600

Isaak Major (aka Isaac Major; Issak Mayor; Isaac Maior) (c.1576–1630/36)

“View of a River with a Natural Arch”, 1586–1630, plate 5 from the series, “Nine landscapes”, published in Augsburg by Johann Georg Hertel (1719–1768).

Engraving on laid paper with wide  margins.

Size: (sheet) 33.5 x 47.4 cm; (plate) 24 x 37.2 cm; (image borderline) 23.7 x 36.8 cm.

Inscribed in plate: (within the image borderline at lower left corner) “Isaac Maior fe.”; (below the image borderline at right) “Ioh.Georg:Hertel,excud.Aug.Vind. 5”.

State iii (of iii).

Hollstein German 14 (Robert Zijlma 1979, “German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, ca. 1400–1700: Erasmus Loy–Jakob Mayr”, vol. 23, Amsterdam, Van Gendt & Co, cat. no. 14).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Plate 5: View of a river with a natural arch at left; with two fishermen and a dog in foreground; from a series of nine landscapes./ Etching” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1870-0625-98). Note that the BM’s impression is reduced in size on the left side, raising the question as to whether the BM’s impression is a later state. Countering this idea are the inscribed publication details for Jeremias Wolff (1663–1724) who I understand made the edition prior to Johann Georg Hertel.

Condition: a strong impression showing breaks in the flattened centrefold with wide margins. The sheet is in an excellent condition for its age with no tears, holes, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this magnificently romantic engraving executed with the Baroque spirit of Aegidius Sadeler and Roelant Savery—the artist’s teachers in Prague—for the total cost of AU$398 (currently US$302.33/EUR255.83/GBP220.93 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 remarkably beautiful engraving that (to my eyes) has the visual “feel” of the artist’s preferred colour for making drawings, indigo blue, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.