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Rare complete series of 127 attractive animal-plates

RIDINGER, Johann Elias.
(Naturhistorisches Original-Thierwerk).

127 numbered engraved plates incl. frontispiece incorporating a small portrait of Johann Elias Ridinger (1698-1767) in profile on a base with his name and profession, surrounded by animals, and plates of all kinds of animals classified in 9 sections.

127 numbered engraved plates incl. frontispiece incorporating a small portrait of Johann Elias Ridinger (1698-1767) in profile on a base with his name and profession, surrounded by animals, and plates of all kinds of animals classified in 9 sections.

127 numbered engraved plates incl. frontispiece incorporating a small portrait of Johann Elias Ridinger (1698-1767) in profile on a base with his name and profession, surrounded by animals, and plates of all kinds of animals classified in 9 sections.

127 numbered engraved plates incl. frontispiece incorporating a small portrait of Johann Elias Ridinger (1698-1767) in profile on a base with his name and profession, surrounded by animals, and plates of all kinds of animals classified in 9 sections.

127 numbered engraved plates incl. frontispiece incorporating a small portrait of Johann Elias Ridinger (1698-1767) in profile on a base with his name and profession, surrounded by animals, and plates of all kinds of animals classified in 9 sections.



(Augsburg, Engelbrecht, 1825). Oblong folio. Contemporary diced half calf with gilt, ribbed spine, marbled covers. 127 numbered engraved plates incl. frontispiece incorporating a small portrait of Johann Elias Ridinger (1698-1767) in profile on a base with his name and profession, surrounded by animals, and plates of all kinds of animals classified in 9 sections. 28 letterpress pp. with descriptions of the animals.

Rare edition of a very fine series of attractive animal-prints, originally published in 7 instalments, here without a general title-page. The extremely rare first edition, with the title Das in seiner großen Mannigfaltigkeit und in seinen schönen Farben nach Original-Zeichnungen geschilderte Thier-Reich and text in German and French, was published posthumously by the artist's sons Martin Elias (1730-1780) and Johann Jakob (1736-1784), in 1768. The present edition, with German text only and with etched frontispiece by Martin Elias Ridinger, is divided in 9 different sections numbered 2 to 10, ranging from monkeys to the big animals such as elephants, rhino's etc., starting with brief descriptions followed by the plates, with captions in German and Latin. The plates are printed on paper with the watermark 'G.R. Thurniesen', used around 1825. Bridon-White and Graesse both list a variant edition also published by Engelbrecht in Augsburg, 1825, in 7 instalments with the same amount of plates but different collation of the textpages.
The German painter, engraver, draughtsman and publisher Johann Elias Ridinger was born in Ulm in 1698. He began his training in 1712 with the Ulm painter Christoph Resch, deriving his knowledge of drawing from Joachim von Sandrart's Teutsche Academie (1675-9). In 1716, he went to Augsburg and associated himself with Johann Falch (1687-1727), under whom he produced depictions of animals, above all horses, as well as copies of earlier masters. On the invitation of Wolf, Freiherr von Metternich, he spent three years in Regensburg: his coursing and visits to the riding school there proved decisive for his development. Returning to Augsburg, he learned engraving and etching from Georg Philipp Rugendas and after 1723 he founded an art publishing house, selling prints that he himself designed and engraved. In 1759 Ridinger became director of the Augsburg Stadtakademie.
Apart from series on hunting, definitions of breeds of horses and illustrated lessons for riding and war-horses, there are the present depictions of wild and domestic animals. The plates show the animals in characteristic movements and positions in a landscape environment. The frequent reprints of Ridinger's most popular series until well into the 19th century bear witness to the high esteem in which his work was held, as does their adaptation to other media, such as wall decoration, porcelain and ceramics.
From the library of Duke Bernard van Saksen-Weimar, a high officer in Dutch service, with his bookplate on upper pastedown, and from one of the finest Dutch private collections, with its blindstamp in first free endpaper.

Good copy.- (Occ. very sl. foxed; final plate wrinkled and 1 plate loosening; hinges splitting but holding on cords; covers sl. worn along extremities).
On this edition: cf. Bridson-White D436 and Graesse VI, p.120, both listing an edition also published in Augsburg, 1825, in 7 instalments. On the first edition: Nissen ZBI, 3408 and Schwerdt III, 145-6; Thienemann p. 197-232, nrs. 974-1102.

Related Subjects: Engravings  Natural History  Print Series 

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€ 12.500,00

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