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MARTIN SCHONGAUER (CIRCA 1445-1491) The Nativity
作品估价：USD 100,000 - 150,000
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拍品名称：
MARTIN SCHONGAUER (CIRCA 1445-1491) The Nativity
拍品描述：
MARTIN SCHONGAUER (CIRCA 1445-1491)
The Nativity
engraving
before 1474
on laid paper, without watermark
a superb, early impression
printing very sharply and evenly, with remarkable clarity even in the finest shading and the densely engraved areas, to a great sculptural effect
with touches of burr on the trunk of the stable and elsewhere, and pronounced inky relief
trimmed to or just inside the platemark but retaining a fillet of blank paper outside the borderline on all sides
in very good condition
Plate & Sheet: 6 ½ x 6 ½ in. (165 x 165 mm.)Fritz Rumpf (1856-1927), Frankfurt am Main and Potsdam (Lugt 2161); his sale, H. G. Gutekunst, Stuttgart, 18-23 May 1908, lot 1476 ('Abdruck von aussergewöhnlicher Schönheit und Frische, tadellos erhalten und mit Rand. Exemplare von dieser Qualität sind von der grössten Seltenheit.') (Mk. 5150; to L. Meder).
With Amsler & Ruthardt, Berlin.
Otto Gerstenberg (1848-1935), Berlin, inscribed at the time of the sale by his secretary Mr Montag with the deaccession number M. 509 in pencil verso (Lugt 1840c; see also Lugt 2785); sold as part of his collection of old master prints in 1922 to Colnaghi & Co., London, and Harlow, McDonald & Co., New York (with the inscription McD in pencil verso).
Richard H. Zinser (circa 1883-1983), Forest Hills, New York (Lugt 5581); then by descent to his daughter Suzanne A. Rosenborg.
With N. G. Stogdon, Middle Chinnock, Somerset; on consignment from the above; his catalogue, Martin Schongauer (X), 1996, n. 2.
Alan and Marianne Schwartz Collection, Detroit; acquired from the above in 1996; then by descent to the present owners.Bartsch 5; Lehrs, Hollstein 4 (this impression cited in both)Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, Prints 1400-1800: A Loan Exhibition from Museums and Private Collections, curated by H. Joachim, 1956-57, p. 7, n. 36.Martin Schongauer is the first engraver known to us by name working north of the Alps, while his predecessors are known today only by their art historical sobriquets or initials, such as the Master of the Playing Cards or the Master ES. Schongauer's engraved oeuvre is the first culmination of this new art form, which presumably had its origins in the workshops of gold- and silversmiths in the early 15th century, somewhere along the Rhine between Basel and Strasbourg. Schongauer himself had a background in metalwork: his father was born and raised in Augsburg but established himself as a goldsmith in Colmar. Martin briefly attended university in Leipzig, but then received a more practical training as an engraver and painter back home in Alsace and possibly in Flanders. The present
Nativity is a perfect example of his style and his technical achievement as a printmaker. His figures, such as the beautiful kneeling Virgin here, clearly betray the influence of the early Flemish masters, such as Rogier van der Weyden and Hugo van der Goes, in their elegance and restraint. Schongauer's Mary adoring the new-born Christ child seems perfectly composed and serene, yet the tumultuous folds of her cloak and the nervous delicacy of her hands convey an emotional and devotional intensity only found in the very best of late Gothic art. Although the image appears pared down to the essential elements of the scene, Schongauer's skill as an engraver is evident in the highly disciplined yet varied use of different graphic marks, such as the long, curved lines of the straw below the Child, the dense cross-hatching of the back wall, and the finest shading on the face of the Virgin. His handling of the burin demonstrates a command of the medium not achieved by any of the anonymous masters before Schongauer. As Stogdon pointed out in his catalogue of 1996, the present impression shows traces of burr on the rear post of the roof, which creates a focus point in the middle ground and thus adds depth and three-dimensionality to the image - an effect only evident in the finest, earliest impressions, such as the present one. The provenance of this print speaks for itself: Otto Gerstenberg counts amongst the most important print collectors of the late 19th and early 20th century, and Richard Zinser was one of the most discerning dealers of old master prints of his time. It is therefore fitting that this exquisite little sheet found its way, via the late Nick Stogdon - who probably knew more about Schongauer's prints than anyone - into the collection of Marianne and Alan Schwartz.