Johann Elias Ridinger (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). S. Matthew. The evangelist in plate-filling figure in landscape scenery, turned to the right and pointing there, but looking to the left, the left resting on closed folio, below of which a genius suggestively – though “as a little anachronism”, so Thienemann – keeps ready pen + inkstand. Mezzotint. Inscribed: Ioh. Elias Ridinger sculps. et excud. Aug. Vind., otherwise in German as above. 51.2 x 37.4 cm.
Provenance: Counts Faber-Castell, their Ridinger sale 1958 with its lot no. 104 on the underlay carton; Radulf Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen (1922-2004).
Thienemann + Schwarz 1261; Rosenthal, Ridinger list 126 (1940), no. 415; Counts Faber-Castell (1958) 104.
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).
The initial 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. John here available). – With slightly stained margins 5-12 mm wide round about (above frayed out, the right lower corner torn off up to the platemark). On the back stained laterally and on the right with provident running through vertical narrow backing in respect of minimal tiny folds in the lower region. A barely perceptible trifling box pleat also horizontally from front left up to the center. Otherwise several spot-like scrape offs. The platemark broken on 8 cm upper right backed acid-freely just as a small margin tear reaching a little into the subject and, providently, a small trace of squeezing below of the evangelist.
The impression itself rich in contrast as not going without saying for the old mezzotints as according to expert Sandrart (1675) the technically conditioned extremely fast wearing off mezzotint plate permits 50-60 good impressions only.
Offer no. 14,958 / price on request