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LUCAS VAN LEYDEN (1494-1533) Abraham and Isaac

LUCAS VAN LEYDEN (1494-1533) Abraham and Isaac woodcut circa 1517 on laid paper, watermark Small Shield with one Fleur-de-lys and Cross (New Hollstein 2b) a brilliant impression of this very rare print first state (of two) printing very evenly, with remarkable clarity, great contrasts and depth trimmed to or just outside the borderline generally in good condition Block & Sheet: 11 ¼ x 8 3⁄8 in. (287 x 214 mm.)Edwin A. Seasongood (1876-1953), New York (without his mark; see Lugt 826b); his sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 5-6 November 1951, lot 167 ('Superb impression, certainly of the very earliest printing'). Albert W. Blum (1882-1952), Zürich & Short Hills, New Jersey; with his stamp verso (Lugt 79b); presumably acquired at the above sale; then by descent; Sotheby's, New York, Old Master Prints from the Collection of the late Dr. Albert W. Blum, 27 February 1988, lot 1209 ($ 47,300). With Margo Pollins Schab Inc., New York. Alan and Marianne Schwartz Collection, Detroit; acquired from the above in 1988; then by descent to the present owners.Bartsch, Hollstein 3 (this impresion cited); New Hollstein 187The Detroit Institute of Arts, Master Prints of 5 Centuries: The Alan and Marianne Schwartz Collection, 1990-91, p. 146, n. 138.Woodcuts by Lucas van Leyden are great rarities in the world of old master prints, and are treasured and sought-after by collectors and museums alike. Unlike Dürer, who had his woodcut series and smaller, devotional images printed in several editions and large numbers, Leyden's print-runs must have been tiny and his blocks did not survive for long, as posthumous impressions barely seem to exist. Most impressions of woodcuts by Leyden that have come to the market over the last few decades were quite damaged and restored. The appearance of a beautiful impression in good condition, such as the present example, is hence an exceptional occurrence. Despite this very limited output, Lucas van Leyden was a gifted and inspired designer of woodcuts. His finest works in the medium, including Abraham and Isaac, are imbued with a lingering atmosphere rarely found even in Dürer's best woodcuts. While the works of the two artists share at first glance many stylistic similarities, there is a marked difference in their mentalities: whereas Dürer depicts biblical, mythological or invented archetypes, Leyden depicts people. Herein, he is much more akin to another artist from Leyden working over one hundred years later - Rembrandt van Rijn - than to his German contemporary. This is nowhere more apparent than in the slightly awkward figure of Isaac, unknowlingly carrying the wood for his own sacrificial pyre, while his father looks on, guilt-ridden and torn. Dürer would have turned this scene into high drama, here it is heart-breaking. New Hollstein records a total of 14 impressions of the first state in public collections, and one unique impression of the second state, with text (British Museum, London). None have appeared at auction within the last thirty years. The present sheet bears the same watermark as the example at the National Gallery of Art, Washington (inv. no. 1943.3.5704).

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非凡印象： 艾倫和瑪麗安·施瓦茨夫婦珍藏

非凡印象： 艾倫和瑪麗安·施瓦茨夫婦珍藏

2024年10月23日 23:00

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