Rob Zanger Rare Books LLC Figurative Prints

Interiors VII: The Train from Munich Robert E. Townsend, 1991. Resist ground etching and engraving with hand refinement in charcoal, pencil, stabilo, and eraser on BFK Rives white wove paper, 20 x 36 inches (507 x 914 mm), full margins. Signed, titled, dated and numbered 51/175 by the artist in pencil, lower margin. A brilliant, inky impression with luminous light and gradient tones. In excellent condition with one extremely minor and superficial spot of light tan adhesive residue on the verso, unobtrusive and not visible on the recto, with no other visible defects. With the blind stamp of the printer, Robert E. Townsend in the lower left margin. An especially fine impression in superb condition. [Milton 113]. When asked about this work in particular, Milton expressed that his favorite images were his darkest images, in theme, mood, and in ink. Milton, who has said that his work is infused with a postmodern awareness of the past, has focused here in a deeply personal way on a segment of history that continues to haunt us all. The work, published in 1991, evokes one of the darkest periods of European history, the eroding and erasing of European culture under fascism, and the eventual total loss of humanity. The Train from Munich is an especially relevant and emotional work for Milton, who created the piece for his wife, Edith, who escaped Munich in 1939 as a child on the fabled Kinderstransport. The Kinderstransport was a desperate rescue effort on the part of the British government to save as many Jewish children as possible by railway before borders closed on the precipice of the Second World War. Children left their parents behind, and boarded the trains alone, leaving the impending doom of Nazi Germany, they arrived in Great Britain as refugees. More than 10,000 children escaped the holocaust via the Kinderstransport. In Train from Munich, the image itself holds an almost immeasurable amount of symbolism; each inch of the matrix is a successful effort to confront this history in a way that is poignant through a series of motifs. We see the Café disappearing into a ghostlike memory of the past, an allegory to the disintegration of culture, while through the windows we can see a rampant, snarling dog; a portrait of Hitler's shepherd, Blondi. Blondi isn't the only notable figure in the composition. Milton has pointed out that the fading figure of the doorman at the Hotel Metropole is modeled after the artist and intellectual Marcel Duchamp, and the face of the young girl peering...

A bright and silvery impression with warm plate tone by a female icon of the Union Square group. New York: Associated American Artists, 1943. Etching on cream wove paper, 5 7/8 x 3 ...

Set of 12 woodblock prints in colors on handmade, laid mulberry paper, 6 3/4 x 10 1/4 inches (170 x 258 mm), printed in Ka-ei 4 (1851). Each print with minor handling wear, otherwise in excellent condition with bright and fresh color, and with details printed in silver ink. The images themselves contain several illusive characters indicating the publisher which are obfuscated by figures, as intended. Presented loose, as issued. A fine set. The astrological commentary print has a large and meandering blind stamp with a bird and palm frond motif. This print lists various phrases concerning the Twelve Zodiac Animals as historically counted in Japan, and appears to include erotic commentary on the traits of people born under each of the twelve signs. These Shunga images were issued in books that paralleled (in an erotic fashion...

Etching on handmade cream laid paper, 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches (890 x 108 mm), full margins. Signed, dated and inscribed "III" in pencil, lower margin. Edition of 150, third state (of th...

New York, Associated American Artists, 1950. Drypoint and aquatint on cream wove paper, 5 7/8 x 3 15/16 inches (150 x 100 mm), full margins. Signed and numbered 48/50 in pencil, lower margin. Printed by Stephen Sholinsky...

Chiaroscuro woodcut with underlying engraving on cream laid paper, printed from two blocks in brown and olive. 10 1/4 x 12 3/4 inches (260 x 321 mm) (plate), full margins with the text printing clearly below in black ink. In very good condition with scattered surface soiling and several minor flecks of light discoloration in the margins, especially in the area of the lower right corner, well outside of image area. Unobtrusive notations in pencil in the margin and on the verso. All condition issues are consistent with age. After a drawing of the same title by Polidoro da Caravaggio...

Woodcut printed in black on buff laid paper, 4 1/2 x 5 3/8 inches (113 x 135 mm), full margins. Scattered minor foxing in the lower right sheet quadrant, recto, and with the lower sh...

Etching on thin, bluish-green cream laid paper, 9 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches (233 x 120 mm), full margins. Signed and dated in pencil, lower margin. First and only state. Printed by Frederi...

Etching on cream laid paper, 1930. 7 1/2 x 3 7/8 inches (190 x 970 mm), full margins. Signed and inscribed "Edition 100" in pencil, lower margin. In very good condition with minor s...

Etching with aquatint on cream laid paper with a partial Arches watermark, 5 3/8 x 4 inches (135 x 100 mm), full margins. Signed illegibly in pencil in the lower right margin.

London: Thomas McLean, 1820. Second Edition. Etching with handcoloring in watercolor on cream wove paper (published 1835), 8 3/8 x 11 1/2 inches (210 x 29 0mm), full margins. Second...

Etching on cream laid paper. 5 7/16x7 7/16 inches (137 x 188 mm). Scattered toning, age stain, and scattered minor defects consistent with age. Second state (of 3). [Delteil 14] Jo...

Rome: Nicolas van Aelst, 1613. Engraving on cream laid paper with a foolscap watermark, 8 x 11 1/4 inches (203 x 282 mm), thread margins. Scattered expert repairs including minor pu...

Chiaroscuro woodcut on cream laid paper with a partial anchor in a circle watermark, printed from two blocks in black and olive-green, 10 3/4 x 8 3...

From, The Progress of a Midshipman, Exemplified in the Career of Master Blockhead 1860 (plate 7) Etching with handcoloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, 8 3/8 x 11 1/2 inches (2...

Etching and drypoint on cream laid paper, 4 x 3 3/8 inches (102 x 86 mm), 1/4 inch margins. Signed in the plate, lower left corner. The 3rd state (of 6), after the rounding of the pl...

By Wenceslaus Hollar, after Jan Van Bylert (Biler) Etching on cream laid paper, 3 7/16 x 2 3/4 inches (87 x 70 mm), thread margins. Lacking the inscription in the plate; "Felix Bil...

Etching on thin cream laid paper with a partial "M" or "W" watermark, 5 x 5 15/16 inches (126 x 150 mm), thread margins. Inscribed in the plate in the upper-right: “Antoni Waterlo fe...

Interiors I: Family Reunion 1984 Resist ground etching and engraving on BFK Rives wove paper, 20 x 36 inches (501 x 913 mm), full margins. Signed, titled, dated and numbered 49/175 in pencil, lower margin. In excellent condition with minor mat tone. A luminous, rich, and well-inked impression of this haunting image, with astonishing detail and depth. Framed handsomely under museum grade glass with archival materials in a solid wood frame with silver finish. [Milton 107] Intended to be a stand alone image in its inception, Family Reunion ended up spawning seven additional images, and became a sort of Primo Pensiero in the sprawling, masterpiece suite now known as Interiors. The suite took eight years to complete, and consists of works of varying format, psychological intensity, and subject matter. The thematic darkness in the eight images waxes and wanes, and Milton intentionally included several interlude works to lighten the tension he felt while composing several of the darker images. The first two in the series, Family Reunion, and Hotel Paradise Café, were meant to be companion pieces. The equilibrium of each composition is anchored on a central brooding figure; a man (perhaps based on a Thomas Eakins portrait of the American anthropologist Frank Hamilton...

London: Thomas McLean, 1818. Third Edition. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, (published August 1st, 1835), 9 1/2 x 13 3/4 in...

From, The Progress of a Midshipman, Exemplified in the Career of Master Blockhead 1860 (plate 4) London: Thomas Mclean, 1835. Etching with handcoloring in watercolor on cream wove p...

London: Thomas McLean, 1835. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper. 6 1/4 x 8 3/8 inches (157 x 210 mm), full margins. Initialed in the plate by Cruikshank, and bearing Frederick Marryat's anchor monniker. A well inked impression of this humorous print...

London: Thomas Mclean, 1835. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper. 5 3/8 x 7 3/4 inches (135 x 195 mm), full margins. A lovely well inked impression with fres...

An image of the last major insurrection in Great Britain, known as Guy Fawkes's Cato Street Conspiracy. London: Thomas Mclean, 1835. Etching with hand colo...

From, The Progress of a Midshipman, Exemplified in the Career of Master Blockhead 1860 (plate 2) Etching with handcoloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, 1835. 210 x 290 mm; 8 3/...

From, The Progress of a Midshipman, Exemplified in the Career of Master Blockhead 1860 (plate 3) London: Thomas McLean, 1835. Etching with handcoloring in watercolor on cream wove pa...

London: Thomas McLean, 1835. Third Edition. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, 1818 (published August 1st, 1835) 9 1/2 x 13 3/4 inches (240 x 348 mm), full...

London: Thomas McLean, 1835. Third Edition. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, 9 1/2 x 13 3/4 inches (240 x 348 mm), full margins. With light, fresh color....

A beautiful image of fellowship and esprit de corp with bright handcoloring in watercolor. London: Thomas Mclean, August 1st, 1835. Second Edition. Etching with handcoloring in water...

A beautiful image of fellowship and esprit de corp with bright handcoloring in watercolor. London: Thomas Mclean, August 1st, 1835. Second Edition. Etching with handcoloring in water...

Engraving on cream wove paper, 8 x 5 3/8 inches (203 x 137 mm), narrow to thread margins. First state (of 2). A fine impression with archival paper adhered at left top and bottom cor...

Engraving on cream laid paper, 8 x 5 3/8 inches (203 x 137 mm), trimmed at the platemark. A fine impression with a Coat of Arms watermark. Second state, after the addition of the Frederick de Witt...

Invitation to a party on the occasion of John and Dolly Sloan's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Sante Fe: Printed by Peter J. Platt, 1926. 100. Etching on cr...

A warm composition, in theme and tone; the creaky timber interior of a 19th century Scottish blacksmith's shop. Etching and drypoint on cream laid Japan paper, 8 x 10 inches (202 x ...

Brown ink and wash on laid paper with a grapes and vine watermark, 6 5/8 x 6 1/2 inches (168 x 164 mm). Laid down to Fellows watermarked wove paper, with uniform age tone, areas of light discoloration, and attenuation of pigment. Unevenly trimmed margins, and paper tape remnant from having been tipped-into a scrap book...

Brownish black ink on dark cream, handmade, laid paper, 8 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches (208 x 260 mm). Uniform age tone with several scattered, unobtrusive spots of brown discoloration, consistent with age. Right top corner loss, evenly trimmed, paper tape remnants at top left corner, recto. Collector's stamp in blue ink ("PRB"), lower left corner, recto. On the verso is a neoclassical graphite and brown ink study of a procession showing a woman being carried in a birthing sedan chair. The woman is being carried backwards, with putti, and horn players, leading her up an embankment, across a river. In her wake we see a crowned man...

1866 Etching on cream wove paper. 5 1/2 x 4 3/8 inches (138 x 110 mm), full margins. Third state (of 4). Light scattered age tone, and time stain. Scattered extremely light areas of ...

Etching, drypoint, and roulette on watermarked Hallines cream laid paper, 3 3/4 x 5 7/8 inches (95 x 148 mm), full margins. A very good impression of this charming image, with all of...

A 1933 lithograph on cream wove paper 14 x 18 inches (354 x 452mm), full margins. Signed, titled, and numbered 17/33 in pencil, lower margin. Minor mat tone around the perimeter of t...

Etching and aquatint on cream laid, watermarked Rives paper. 6 5/8 x 5 inches (167 x 126 mm). Sixth and final state, a posthumous impression. A fine, inky impression with full margin...

A Scene in the New Farce —as performed at the Royalty Theater London: George Humphrey, 1821. Etching and engraving on cream wove paper with extensive hand coloring in watercolor. 9 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches (244 x 348 mm), trimmed at the platemark. A beautiful impression of this large, intricate print...

Palazzo dell'Angelo 1931 Etching and drypoint on cream-colored, handmade laid paper with deckle edges, 7 1/4 x 6 3/4 inches (185 x 171 mm), edition of 100, full margins. Signed, dated and numbered "Ed. 100" in pencil, lower margin, second state (of three). Printed by Henry Carling, New York. Extremely minor mat tone and some inky residue in the top right corner, all unobtrusive and well outside of image area. An exquisite impression of this intricate image, with astonishing detail, and all the fine lines printing clearly. The image represents the first print which Arms printed on his own handmade paper. Framed handsomely with archival materials and museum grade glass in a wood gilt frame with a flower and garland motif. Illustrated: Dorothy Noyes Arms, Hill Towns and Cities of Northern Italy, p. 180; Anderson, American Etchers Abroad 1880-1930; Eric Denker, Reflections & Undercurrents: Ernest Roth and Printmaking in Venice, 1900-1940, p. 116. [Fletcher 233] Born in 1887 in Washington DC, John Taylor Arms studied at Princeton University, and ultimately earned a degree in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1912. With the outbreak of W.W.I, Arms served as an officer in the United States Navy, and it was during this time that he turned his focus to printmaking, having published his first etching in 1919. His first subjects were the Brooklyn Bridge, near the Navy Yard, and it was during his wartime travel that Arms created a series of extraordinarily detailed etchings based on Gothic cathedrals and churches he visited in France and Italy. He used what was available to him, namely sewing needles and a magnifying glass, to create the incredibly rich and fine detail that his etchings are known for. Upon his return to New York after the war, Arms enjoyed a successful career as a graphic artist, created a series of etchings of American cities, and published Handbook of Print Making and Print Makers (Macmillan, 1934). He served as President of the Society of American Graphic Artists, and in 1933, was made a full member of the National Academy of Design. In its most modern incarnation, Palazzo dell'Angelo was constructed in or around 1570. The building, which has a rich and storied history, was erected upon the ruins of an earlier structure which predates the Gothic period. Some remnants of the earliest features of the residence were most certainly still visible when Arms visited, as they are today. Having a background in architecture, there's no question that Arms was moved by the beauty, history and ingenuity represented in the physical structure. One thing specifically gives away Arms's passion for the architecture, and that is the fact that he focused on the building's Moorish entranceway, balustrade, and two mullioned windows, and not on the curious Gothic era bas-relief of an angel nestled into the facade of the building, after which the structure is named. The sculpture itself doesn't appear in Arms's composition at all, despite the fact that it is the feature of the building that is most famous in its folklore. Arms instead focuses on the oldest portion of the architecture, even documenting some of the remnants of a fresco, and a funerary stele for the freedman Tito Mestrio Logismo, and his wife Mestria Sperata (visible above the water level, to the left of the door, behind the gondola), which was first described in 1436. Among the many notable bits of history regarding the Palazzo, it has been documented that Tintoretto painted frescos of battle scenes on the facade of the building. The paintings have been lost to time and the elements, but not entirely to history. The empty frame...

Guardians of the Spire; Amiens Cathedral Number 2 New York: 1937. Etching and drypoint on watermarked F.J. Head cream-colored, antique laid paper, 6 3/4 ...

London: Thomas McLean, 1818. Third Edition. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper (published August 1st, 1835), 9 7/8 x 14 inches ...

from The Sailor’s Progress, Plate 5 London: Thomas McLean, 1835. Second Edition. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, 1835. 8 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches (250 x 354 mm), full margins. With the quote from The Corsair, A Tale, Canto I...