ALDEGREVER, Heinrich, Two Elders before the Judge, 1555
From Heinrich Aldegrever's two engraved self-portraits of 1530 and 1537 at the ages of 28 and 35, it is evident that he was born in 1502, presumabl… [Read biography »]
Signed Heinrich Aldegrever (1502 - 1555), Original Engraving, Two Elders before the Judge, 1555  |
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| Artist: | Aldegrever, Heinrich (1502 - 1555) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Two Elders before the Judge, 1555 |
| Medium: | Original Engraving |
| Image Size: | 3.5 in x 4.75 in (8.89 x 12.1 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 3.5 in x 4.75 in (8.89 x 12.1 cm) |
| Framed Size: | 22.5 in x 21 in (57.2 x 53.34 cm) |
| Signed: | This work is monogrammed 'AG 1555' in the plate, in the lower left |
| Edition: | Lifetime impression |
| Condition: | This work is in great condition, a rich dark impression on a fine laid paper bearing a Fool's Cap watermark (dating the piece to c. 1555) |
| Price: Item# 1808 | $SOLD Please visit the rest of our ALDEGREVER inventory » |
| Description: | |
Aldegrever's intricately executed narrative of Two Elders before the Judge is a powerful and complex scene. The intimate scale of this work entices the viewer to examine the image with an "up-close" viewpoint. Full of detailed line work, this piece illustrates Aldegrever's skill in creating both emotional and compositional complexities. Created in 1555, this original engraving is printed on a fine laid paper and monogrammed in the plate 'AG 1555' in the lower left. This piece contains the Fool's Cap watermark, also referred to as the Jester with Seven Point Collar. A wonderfully saturated impression, the black lines remain bold and strong. There has been minor conservation to the extreme upper right corner that does not disrupt the image. Aldegrever was part of the group with the group known as "The Little Masters". As the title indicates, The Little Masters were interested in created complex images on small and micro scales, which range in size from that of a postage stamp to a large playing card. These small works were a wildly desirable commodity sought by the urban elite and educated merchants of Renaissance Germany. The proliferation of works by the "Little Masters" coincided with the rise and demand for Kunstkammers, which is German for display case. These cases, which took their place in Renaissance German households, functioned just as our modern shadow boxes do, displaying the collector's interests and knowledge. Two Elders before the Judge is a particularly magnificent piece because it includes multiple layers of movement and action on a very small scale. This is a marvelous piece, and a very special addition to any serious collection of Old Master prints, "Little Masters" prints, and Aldegrever collections. Catalogue Raisonné & COA: 1) Bartsch 31, (unfortunately we do not presently own a copy of this publication and will not be able to include a copy) . 2) A Masterworks Certificate of Authenticity will be included with the sale of this work. About the Framing: | |
| Style: | Old master |
Biography of Heinrich Aldegrever
Heinrich Aldegrever (1502 - 1555)
From Heinrich Aldegrever's two engraved self-portraits of 1530 and 1537 at the ages of 28 and 35, it is evident that he was born in 1502, presumably in Paderborn, home of his parents, Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker, called Aldegrever. Like his father (who had demanded, unsuccessfully, to be executed along with sixteen Paderborn citizens who had been arrested during a religious uprising in 1532), Aldegrever participated in the Protestant Reformation. He established himself permanently in nearby Soest ca. 1525, where he entered the painters' guild around 1526-27, and became a citizen of the city in 1530. His first engraving is dated 1527. Aldegrever's training and course of his presumed Wandejyabr are uncertain, but trips to Nuremberg (according to van Mander, who implies that Aldegrever had worked in Durer's shop), Monster (perhaps as assistant to Ludger Tom Ring), and Bruges or Antwerp (where he could have been in touch with Joos van Cleve) have been proposed.
Aldegrever produced nearly 300 engravings (a third of which were ornamental sheets) and three etchings on iron. He was also active as a painter, and perhaps as a goldsmith. in the latter capacity it is certain that he made at least three silver seats and a signet ring for Duke Wilhelm of Cleves. Although Aldegrever was not a member of the goldsmiths' guild, he apparently taught this craft to his son, Christoph. Aldegrever may also have been a stained-glass painter. Stained-glass windows in Soest (Patroclimilnster) and Conches (Sainte-Foy) have been attributed to Aldegrever; although the latter, which bears his name, may simply be after one of his engravings (B. 252).
In 1531 Aldegrever is mentioned as a cojuror of the Patrocli Shooting Guild, and he participated in the institution of the Reformation in Soest in the same year. 1537 he is mentioned by the satirist Daniel von Soest as having portrayed the judge Johan van Holte and his beloved posing in the nude, according to their wishes. About this time Aldegrever engraved his famous portraits of the Anabaptist leaders Jan van Leyden and Bernhard Knipperdolling (B. 182, B. 183), and in 1540 he engraved portraits of Luther and Melanchthon (B. 184, 185).
Between 1541 and 1549 his activity is uncertain, and he produced no dated engravings, but between 1549 and 1555 he issued his series of the Labors of Hercules (B. 83-95), the Seven Virtues and Seven Deadly Sins (B. 117-123, 124-130), and his remarkable Biblical series treating the stories of Dives and Lazarus (B. 44-48, cat. 37), the Good Samaritan (B. 40-43, Cat. 35), Susannah (B. 30-33), and Lot (B. 14-17).
Aldegrever died between 1555, the last year in which he dated an engraving, and 1561, when his son is recorded as saying that his father had been a capable stained-glass and panel painter. Many of Aldegrever's compositions are highly derivative, and his monogram mimics that of one of his favorite sources, Albrecht Durer. Van Mander reports that Aldegrever was buried very humbly, and that he was only awarded a tombstone (carrying his name and monogram) posthumously, at the behest of an artist from Monster who came seeking Aldegrever only to discover that he had died.
Sources: Allgemeines Kunstlerlexikon 1: 928-32; TbiemeBecker 1: 240-243; Mander, Scbdderboeck, 227-227v; Zschelletzschky, Das graphiscbe Werk Heinrick Aldegrevers, 5-11.
