Johann Elias Ridinger (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). S. John. The evangelist in plate-filling figure before heroic landscape, looking up to the right, pointing with the left at the book both held by the right and supported on a boulder, to the right at his feet the eagle as the belonging to cherub symbol. Mezzotint. Inscribed: Iohann Elias Ridinger sculps. et excud. Aug. Vind., otherwise in German as above. 51 x 37.5 cm.
Provenance: Counts Faber-Castell, their Ridinger sale 1958 with its lot no. 106 on the underlay carton; Radulf Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen (1922-2004).
Thienemann + Schwarz 1264; Counts Faber-Castell (1958) 106. – Not in Weigel, Art Stock Catalogue I-XXVIII (1838/57) , Silesian Ridinger collection at Boerner XXXIX (1885) , Coppenrath Collection (1889 f.), Reich auf Biehla (1894) , Helbing XXXIV (Works by J. E. and M. E. Ridinger; 1900) , Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940).
First State before the more elliptic gloriole and the “No. 15” below of the title as marks of the retouched plate (Schwarz 1264a) in very fine impression of shining chiaroscuro.
The final sheet of the completely extremely rare 4-sheet set of the evangelists of which also Faber-Castell had but 3 sheets, and count Radulf only 2 sheets (his S. Matthew here available). – With partially slightly (on the back somewhat more) stained margins of 5 (below) up to 10 mm round about, in this upper right written “40” in brown ink. – Smoothed horizontal center fold and vertical trace of glue, both visible on the back only. Isolated pin(head)-fine tiny holes in the margin parts, only one left of the head perceptible as a little larger.
THE FINE MOTIF with the eagle represented in active great supportive pose as one of the four (Ezekiel) cherubim.
Offer no. 14,957 / price on request