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19th Century Japanese Woodblock - Restraint

19th Century

Signed and inscribed with characters. Presented in a contemporary black frame. On paper.

A dynamic Japanese woodblock print depicting two warriors in conflict. Inscribed with characters. Presented in a wooden frame and double window mount. On paper.

Chiaroscuro woodcut on cream laid paper, printed from three blocks in black, olive-green, and yellow ochre, 8 3/16 x 6 1/4 inches (207 x 157 mm), thread margins. Some scattered light discoloration throughout, lightly backed with laid paper, however the sheet retains translucence when viewed through raking light. Trimmed at or near the margin. Archivally sound small repaired corner tear, upper right, with a very minor (1/4 inch) vertical edge split in the center top margin, above the figure's head. All condition issues are consistent with age, and present an exceptionally good example of this truly remarkable work. With the collector's stamp of Friedrich August II, King of Saxony, last King of Poland (1797-1854), Dresden, on the right corner, recto (Lugt 971). This work likely appeared in a well-known posthumous sale of Friedrich August II's private collection, which was handled by C.G. Boerner, and took place in Leipzig, on May 7-9, 1928, presumably this print was presented as lot 1551. [Stechow 16] Ludolph Busïnck was born at Hann, Germany around 1590. By about 1620 he was actively working as a printmaker in Paris, collaborating with publisher and celebrated cartographer Melchoir Tavernier. Busïnck may have studied printmaking in the Netherlands, evidenced by the influence of Dutch printmaker Hendrick Goltzius we see in the bold woodcuts he produced in France. Busïnck was the first printmaker to create chiaroscuro woodcuts in France, a technique originated by German artist Hans Burgkmair...

A classical chiaroscuro woodcut after Raphael executed by Charles Nicolas Cochin Père (1688-1754) & Vincent Le Sueur (1668-1743) . Printed from two bloc...