Antique Master Print-MERCURY PRESIDING OVER THE ARTS-Saenredam-Goltzius-1596

Medium: Engraving on hand laid (vergé) paper. Watermark: Double Eagle.

Sheet size: 18.5 x 26 cm (7.28 x 10.24 inch). Image size: 17.3 x 25.3 cm. (6.81 x 9.96 inch).

Condition: very good, given age. Light foxing, creasig. Excellent impression with margin. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.

MERCURY PRESIDING OVER THE ARTS | PCO-EXPO-DUTCH

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

5th Print from the series of Seven planetary gods.

State: State state with number.

Reference: Hollstein 55 (Saenredam), 362 (Goltzius), Bartsch 78.

Provenance: From collection Naudet (active c.1763-1830) a French merchant in Paris. (Lugt 1938).

Biography engraver: Jan Pietersz. Saenredam (1565-1607) was a Dutch engraver from Zaandam, c. 1565. Orphaned in childhood, he was raised by an uncle, Pieter de Jongh, a bailiff in Assendelft. With the help of a local lawyer, he entered the circle of Hendrick Goltzius relatively late in life, in 1589, and worked for short periods with both Goltzius and Jacques de Gheyn II. Saenredam was one of Goltzius’ most important masters and worked closely with him, creating a major body of work. According to both de Bie and Schrevelius, there was some rivalry between each of these masters and Saenredam, who quickly absorbed what they had to offer him. About 1595 Saenredam returned to Assendelft, where he married and where his son Pieter, who later became famous for his paintings of the interiors of churches, was born. He died in Assendelft in 1607.

Biography artist: Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1647), a reknown buring engraver. Leading figure of the mannerist school of Dutch engravers. For technique as an engraver Goltzius is considered as unsurpassed, even by Dürer. He was a pupil of Dirk Volckertz, Coornhert and Philippe Galle. His mannerism was highly influenced by Spranger but after a journey to Italy he developed it to a less exaggerated form. His designs where engraved, often with even more skill by his contemporain Jan Saenredam and Goltzius pupil and son of Goltzius second wife: Jacob Matham.

This designs are masterly done and Goltzius, Matham and Saenredam where superb engravers. Their work makes part of the upper-class art-sales. The works below are mostly inventions of Goltzius, engraved by himself or engraved by Saenredam or Matham. Few others are engravings by Saenredam on his own invention.