MARTIN SCHONGAUER (CIRCA 1445-1491)

Saint John the Baptist

Details

MARTIN SCHONGAUER (CIRCA 1445-1491)
Saint John the Baptist
engraving, circa 1469-74, on laid paper, watermark Gothic P with Flower (similar to Stogdon 22), a fine, rich impression, printing with areas of light platetone and fine wiping marks, trimmed on or just inside the platemark, retaining a fillet of blank paper outside the borderline, a few tiny touches of pen and ink along the borderline, an inscription in brown ink faintly visible recto and verso, otherwise in very good condition
Plate & Sheet 156 x 116 mm.

Provenance

Adalbert Freiherr von Lanna (1836-1909), Prague; his sale, H. G. Gutekunst, Stuttgart, 11-22 May 1909, lot 2836 ('Herrlicher, ganz früher Abdruck, tadellos erhalten und mit Rand, auf Papier mit gotischem P. Äussert selten.') (Mk. 1800);
Dr. Otto Schäfer (1912 - 2000), Schweinfurt, Germany (not in Lugt).

Literature

Bartsch 54; Lehrs, Hollstein 59

Brought to you by

Tim Schmelcher International Specialist

tschmelcher@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2268

Lot Essay

Saint John the Baptist is revered in the Christian tradition as the person to have baptised Jesus Christ, one of the first main events in the Life of Christ leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Schongauer represents the Saint with his traditional attribute of a lamb lying on a book. His pointing at the lamb refers to Christ's sacrifice and is a visual representation of the saint calling Christ 'the Lamb of God' (Ecce Agnus Dei). Saint John the Baptist is depicted wearing a camel-skin cloak, a rough and simple garment, as a mark of his ascetic life.

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