HARRIS SCHRANK FINE PRINTS » Wenzel Hollar

The Mineral Spring

Harris Schrank — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:35:50 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1607-1677), The Mineral Spring, etching, c. 1645. Reference: Pennington 1238, fourth state (of 4). In generally adequate condition, trimmed on or just into the borderline, tiny nick lower margin edge, repair (?) upper right, hinging slightly showing through. 4 5/8 x 7 5/8. Watermark: Crown with initials MM.

A good/fair impression, showing wear at the extreme left.

This interesting composition shows a sunken stone basin with steps; water is running from two pipes in a decorated wall. People are seated in the basin and under the trees, and a man with two pitchers walks toward the well.

Pennington notes that various locations have been identified for the Mineral Spring.

The publisher, Paul Furst (1608-1666) died about a decade before Hollar.

Detail

Joannes Roelants

Harris Schrank — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1607-1677), Joannes Roelants, etching, 1648. Reference: Pennington 1496, third state (of 3) [with the title lettering and Hollar initials and date in the space below]. In good condition, trimmed irregularly on or inside the platemark, a bit inside the borderline lower right, a thin spot lower left verso. On laid paper, with a partial Foolscap watermark.3 1/2 x 4 7/8 inches.

Provenance: unknown collector (initials in yellow ink verso, not found in Lugt)

A very good impression.

The Roelants family were the Imperial Postmasters in the Netherlands; Hollar made portraits of a number of family members.

Detail

Charles I

Harris Schrank — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:12:38 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1607-1677), Charles I, etching, 1644. Reference: Pennington 1686, third state (of 3) [with initials WH fec in the plate]. On laid paper, In adequate condition, a pinhole in the wide margin at bottom away from image, slight staining in spots, with small margins top and sides, larger bottom, 9 7/8 x 7 3/4, the sheet 11 1/2 x 8 inches, archival matting.

A fair impression printed in 1705 for the frontispiece of Edward Walker’s Historical Discourses, with lettering verso (showing through slightly).

Charles I is pictured bareheaded, in armor, holding a baton; in the background between the horse’s feet are battalions of cavalry and infantry.

Detail

Henry van der Borcht, Painter, 1648, after Meyssens

Harris Schrank — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:58:56 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1607-1677) etching Henry van der Borcht, Painter, 1648, after Meyssens. Reference: Pennington 1365, second state of five. Impressions were taken in a first edition in 1649, then some corrections were made to the inscription in the margin at the bottom before the second edition in 1661 (most notably, the “de Prince of Walles” was changed to “du Prince of Galles”). This impression is from this second, but still lifetime, edition. (In later, posthumous editions the plate was re-worked and numbers were added.)

A fine early lifetime impression, in good condition apart from slight foxing (mostly on verso), some thin spots (also on verso), with margins, 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 (sheet 8 x 5 3/4) inches, archival mounting.

Hollar’s patron in England was the Earl of Arundel, who had a major art collection. Henry van der Borcht (1614-1654) was the son of the Earl’s art curator; he was a painter and occasional etcher. Hollar thus knew him for four or five years, before leaving England when Arundel died, in 1646. At that point (now in Antwerp), Hollar made etchings of the paintings in the Earl’s collection.

Henry holds in his hand a book open to a plate of the Descent From the Cross by Raphael. This design was at the time attributed to Raphael, but is probably not by him.

This is from a series of portraits painted by Meyssens that included a portrait of Hollar himself.

Henry van Craenhals

Harris Schrank — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:49:22 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1606-1677), Henry van Craenhals, etching, 1644. Reference: Pennington 1381. Probably first state (of 4). In good condition apart from reinforcement in blank area lower left, trimmed on or just outside of the platemark. On old laid paper with a top of a crown watermark, 5 1/2 x 3 3/4 inches.

A very good impression.

Provenance: the former London Old Master Print firm of Craddock and Barnard, still in their mat, with the Barnard annotations.

G.A. Cardew (with his stamp verso, Lugt 1134)

Leonard Baskin (with his stamp verso)

A previous cataloguer (probably Barnard) has noted in pencil verso that this watermark is exactly the same as that of the impression of this print in the British Museum, but that this impression is more worn. Still, the lightly bitten areas such as the collar show all the detailed lines. According to Pennington even the first state shows some wear and some reworking in the hair. Aside from the numeral “12″ which was added in the second state and taken off in the third, there were no changes in the plate except for re-working; given the watermark, paper, and good detailing we believe this is a first state, but it could be a third or fourth.

View of London from Whitehall Stairs

Harris Schrank — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:37:33 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1607-77), View of London from Whitehall Stairs, etching, c. 1647. Reference: Pennington 912, only state. In very good condition, with small margins, soft folds upper right corner, printed on an old laid paper with a Fleur de Lis and Crown watermark. 3 3/4 x 7 inches, archival matting.

A fine impression with superb detailing (e.g., the letters ‘Thames flu’ can be clearly read in the river, but some magnification is useful for reading this and other details).

Provenance: ex Collection, Francis Leventritt (Leventritt’s advisor regarding Old Master prints was the eminent art critic Leo Steinberg)

Pennington’s description of this image is worth some repeating: “A view of the muddy shore of the Thames, lettered ‘Thames flu’, at low water across to Lambeth Place…Across the mud a plank walk – Whitehall Stairs – slopes down to low water level to end in a post to which a dozen ferry boats are made fast…Whitehall Stairs was a public landing place as opposed to the Privy Stairs a little farther up river. They led to a narrow passage,with the quarters for the royal pages and the royal cooks on the left, which led into an open space behind the Banqueting House. Whtehall Court now stands on the site.”

Air

Harris Schrank — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:02:28 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1606-1677), Air, 1647, after Petrus van Avont, from the Four Elements. [signed and dated W. Hollar 1647 lower right and inscribed P. van Avont inu lower left in the plate] Reference: Pennington 522, third state (of 3). In good condition (a thin spot upper left verso), on laid paper, trimmed outside of the borderline all around, 5 1/2 x 8 1/8 inches.

Provenance: the London firm of Craddock and Barnard, still in their mat, with the Barnard annotations.

A fine strong impression of this whimsical representation of the element Air.

Hollar (1607-1677) had learned etching as a gentlemanly pursuit before, as a Protestant, having to leave Catholic Prague when he was 20. For nine years he worked in various German towns, mostly producing topographical prints and drawings. In 1636 while in Cologne he joined the entourage of the Earl of Arundel, with whom he returned to England. After the Earl’s death in 1646 Hollar went to Antwerp, where he made the etchings after Avont’s Four Elements.

Besagno

Harris Schrank — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:56:07 +0000

Wenzel Hollar (1607-77), Besagno, etching, 1665. Reference: Pennington 1095, third state (of 3). [signed W. Hollar fec: 1665 lower right; and with the publisher's address lower left: Philip Lea in Cheapside ex]. There may have been a fourth state but it has not been identified. In good condition, trimmed at the platemark, 2 1/2 x 4 inches.

A very good impression of this small gem, with the reflection of the houses in the water fairly glowing.

Provenance: Collection of Leonard Baskin, with his stamp verso.

In his later years Hollar made lots of maps, portraits and picturesque scenes such as Besagno. According to Richard Godfrey, his industry was legendary. Godfrey quoted Place discussing Hollar: “he did all by the hour in which he was very exact for if anybody came in that kept him from his business he always laid ye hour glass on one side, till they were gone, he always received 12 pence an hour.”

The third state address of Philip Lea indicates that this print was printed in or after 1688, the year Lea is known to have been located at Cheapside; therefore this impression would be posthumous.

$330