CHRISTOFFEL JEGHER
1596 Antwerp 1652/53
50 Silenus Accompanied by a Satyr and a Faun. Circa 1633/34 Nach P. P. Rubens
Woodcut. 44.6 x 33.7 cm Le Blanc 14/I (of II); Schneevoogt p. 135, no. 139; Hollstein 16/I (of II) Watermark: “ B” below “4” and “M” (cf. exhib. cat. Rubens e L’incisione, Rome 1977, watermark no. 155) Provenance: Falkeisen & Huber, Basel (Lugt Suppl. 1008, cf. Lugt 1008)
Extraordinarily fine impression, evenly printed with strong contrasts and as good as the impression in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. The 1st state, before removal of the address of Rubens. One of only 9 woodcuts executed in close collaboration between artist and xylographer during the final decade of Rubens’ life. They are regarded as highlights of the art of woodcut as a whole (K. Renger). With the external framing line fully visible. The striking printing relief on the verso preserved untouched. In perfect condition aside from a slight printer’s crease and a scarcely perceptible horizontal drying fold. Rubens chose Christoffel Jegher to execute his designs because, late in his career, the master became increasingly disenchanted with the overly detailed and overly sophisticated copper engravings cut after his work. With a true artist’s eye he saw in the woodcut a more forceful, more elementary medium of reproduction, a technique that rendered the actual lines of a drawing more faithfully than the engraver’s burin… A mixture of humorous and slightly tragic mood prevails in the woodcut of “Silenus Accompanied by Satyr and Faun”. The forward thrust of the drunkenly swaying body about to fall on its face is ingeniously held in balance by the supporting figures of a satyr and a faun to the right and left. In this carefully structured composition, Jegher’s technical skill is... seen at its best. For comparison very much the same scene is presented in an engraving by Jonas Suyderhof. This is as good an opportunity as any to understand why, toward the end of his career, Rubens changed over to the woodcut medium in rejecting the fussy, overly detailed language of the copper-engraving technique in the Rubens school. (H. Lehmann-Haupt)
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