Jost Amman’s woodcut, “The Faliscan Youths Scourge their Traitorous Teacher”, 1572

Jost Amman (aka Jost Ammon) (1539–1591)

“The Faliscan Youths Scourge their Traitorous Teacher”, 1572, woodcut illustration to Livy’s (aka Titus Livius) (59 BC–AD 17), “Titi Livii Patavini Romanæ historiæ principis libri omnes qvotqvot ad nostram ætatem peruenerunt …” (aka “Scenes from Livy, representing the principle events of Roman history in a skilful and lifelike manner and elucidated by Philip Lonicer in succinct verses” [TIB]; “Icones Livianae”), published with imperial privilege in Frankfurt am Main by Sigmund Feyerabend (aka Sigismund Feyrabend; Sigmund Feierabend) (1528-1590) in 1572/1578.

This woodcut may be seen on page 151 (see https://archive.org/details/titiliviipatavin00livy_0/page/151/mode/2up).

Woodcut on fine laid paper with letterpress text verso, trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 24.9 x 27.7 cm; (sheet) 11 x 15.1 cm; (image borderline) 10.9 x 14.9 cm.

TIB 20.3.36 (367) (Jane S Peters 1985, “The Illustrated Bartsch: German Masters of the Sixteenth Century: Jost Amman”, vol., 20 [Part 1], New York, Abaris Books, p. 364, cat. no. 3.36 [367]).

Condition: a strong and well-printed early impression showing minimal signs of wear to the printing plate, trimmed around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing larger margins. There are restorations to the borderline on the right and a dot stain at left on the lower borderline.

I am selling this remarkable woodcut showing a Faliscan teacher who betrayed the trust of his pupils by leading them outside of their city’s gates and into an outpost of their enemy—the Romans—only to be rebuffed by the Romans for his villainy and sent back to the Faliscans for appropriate justice, for AU$268 (currently US$179.90/EUR173.25/GBP151.02 at the time of posting 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 amazing German woodcut from the late Renaissance—note the anachronistic representation of cannons at upper right—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