1738 – J. E. Ridinger – Von Bären überfallene Löwin
150 €
Title: Die bey ihren Jungen von einen Bären überfallene Löwin
(The Lioness Attacked by a Bear beside her Cubs)
Description:
This is an original etching and engraving by Johann Elias Ridinger (1698–1767) of Augsburg, the greatest German animal and hunting printmaker of the 18th century. It comes from his celebrated series Betrachtung der wilden Thiere (“Contemplation of Wild Animals”), published in Augsburg in 1736–1740. Each plate in the series pairs Ridinger’s animals with verses by the Hamburg poet Barthold Heinrich Brockes (1680–1747).
On a rocky mountain ledge, a lioness rears up and seizes a huge bear that has fallen on her young. One cub lies dead at her feet. Another tumbles down the rock after the bear tore it away. Ridinger shows the clash of fur and muscle with extraordinary energy, against a dramatic backdrop of crags and wild plants.
Below the image are Brockes’s twelve lines of German verse in two columns, beginning “Hier bricht die Mütterliche Lieb’ in lichten Flammen aus!” (“Here maternal love bursts out in bright flames!”). They describe how the lioness, blind with fury, scorns danger and death, feeling neither pain nor bites, to drag the bear down from his vantage point. The plate is signed “J. El. Ridinger del. sculps. et excud. A.V.”: Ridinger drew, engraved and published it himself in Augsburg (Augusta Vindelicorum).
Artist/Engraver/Publisher: Johann Elias Ridinger (1698 – 1767)
Sheet size: 44,5 x 36,5 cm
Year: 1738
Technique: copper engraving
Reference: Thienemann 195 ff. (the Betrachtung series); Wellcome Collection, London
Condition:
Good. The impression is strong and detailed, with good contrast. The sheet is trimmed close to the plate and mounted on old cream card. There is light toning and a few small spots in the image and the margin.
This is an original antique copper engraving published in 1738 and NOT a modern copy or reprint
On your request I will provide a Certificate of Authenticity
In stock
