Lady Seated, Contemplating is the title of this Ming Dynasty, Chong Zheng Ren Wu period (1642) painting on silk. Signed with red seals by the artist LAN MEI WEI

Nicolas Mignard, French, 1606-1668, "Athena Advises Odysseus". Etching by Nicolas Mignard after the frescoes of Annibale Carracci depicting scenes from Homer's Odyssey. Plate size 11 3/4 x 13 5/8 inches, published by Pierre Mariette in 1637, with lettering in Latin below the image. Printed on a very early watermarked laid type paper.

The Latin text discusses the origins of Turkish people and shows a man wearing a kaftan-like garment and a pointed hat. He is armed with a scimitar suspended from his twisted belt.
On top the hand-colored woodcut of king Pepin the Short (714-768 AD) holding sceptre and globe. Pepin was the first Carolingian king and father of Charlemagne.
Below is the figure of St...

Cornelius Visscher, Dutch, 1629-1658, "Het Gesprek (The Conversation)". This 17th century engraving by the Dutch artist, Cornelius Visscher, measures 9 7/8 x 8 1/2 inches, c.1655, on laid paper with partial collectors seal on back. "A.V. Oftade pinxit et excud., C. Visscher fecit aqua forti. and Ger. Valk Excudit" printed on bottom margin...

Original 1618 etching by Jacques Callot LE GRAND ROCHER (The Great Rock) from his series “Paysages Graves pour Jean de Medicis”, Lieure catalog number 276, second state of two. Powerful design, excellent clean print. Framed and glazed, not examined outside of frame. Print size 109 x 243 mm (9 9/16 x 4 1/4 inches), frame size 10.5 x 18 inches.

Nicolas Mignard, French, 1606-1668, "Odysseus Escaping Polyphemus". Etching by Nicolas Mignard after the frescoes of Annibale Carracci depicting scenes from Homer's Odyssey. Plate size 10 1/4 x 17 3/4, published by Pierre Mariette in 1637, with lettering in Latin below the image. Printed on a very early watermarked laid type paper.

Original etching LA REVUE (The Review) by Jacques Callot printed in 1627, second state of two, Lieure catalog number 592. The print was done just before Callot started working on a huge print “Le Siege de Breda” and must have been done for better understanding of military formations. The print is in excellent condition, framed and glazed, not inspected outside of frame. Plate size 12.0 x 16.0 cm (4 3/4 x 6 5/16 inches), frame size 8 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches...

Important woodcut of God the Father creating Eve from Adam’s rib.
According to Genesis, God the Father created Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden. There he was given dominion over the animals, which he named. But he himself had no mate. God made Adam fall into a deep sleep and created his mate Eve from one of his ribs.
The recto with two blocks of Latin text.
Page from Hartmann Schedel's Liber Chronicarum, more commonly known as the Nuremberg Chronicle...

A PAIR of old engravings from the Passion of Christ series of 14, engraved originally in 1521 by Dutch old master engraver LUCAS VAN LEYDEN (1494-1533). My research leads me to believe these two are apparently later impressions printed on wove rather than laid paper, by noted Flemish engraver Jan Harmansz Muller (1571-1628). (Wove, as opposed to "laid" paper, was not invented until the mid 18th century). The talented Muller made skilled and faithful copies after earlier artists' works...

17th Century Map of Asia In Full Color 20x22 inches , in Latin script most likely Dutch.

Six original 32 etchings by Jacques Callot comprising the full series LES PENITENTS ET PENITENTES, Lieure catalog numbers 1315-1319, second state of two except for the frontispiece, which is the first state. Wonderful designs, excellent clean prints. Framed and glazed, not examined outside of frame. Average print size 65 x 43 mm (2 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches), frame size 12 x 14 inches.

Rare woodcut of Imperator Julius Caesar seated in front of the city of Rome.
Caesar is represented by a contemporary ruler wearing a crown and heavy armour...

A fine old wood engraving dating to the sixteenth century, the title apparently "Saint Paul Giving a Letter to a Messenger" according to handwritten notes on the backing, which also relate that this is from the Biblia series. The artist HANS BROSAMER (circa 1506-1554) was born at Fulda in central Germany. He became known for his fine oil portraits, but also for his wood engravings and copper engravings, many produced for various editions of Luther's German Bible...

A large poster, 38" by 28" inside the mat window and 49 1/2" by 39" in silvery, attractive, quality frame, signed discretely at upper left center by listed Italian artist MARIO BORGONI (1869-1950). Printed by Richter & Co. of Napoli, the subject is a handsome young man, sword in hand, partially draped in the green, white and red of the Italian flag. The poster, "Prestito Nazionale", was created to drum up patriotic feeling to help fund, through bonds, the war activities in 1916...

PAIR of copper engravings by the early Flemish artist JOHANNES STRADANUS (also known as Johannes van der Straet), born 1523, died 1605. Each measures 8" by 10 1/2" (16" by 18" in identical silvery contemporary frames). One image is titled "Staphae, Sive Stapedes", the other "Ser Sive Sericus Vermis". These works date to about the year 1590 or 1591. They are numbered 8 and 9, part of Nova Reperta, a series of 20 images that illustrated important discoveries of the Renaissance...

Etching, tightly trimmed to round shape ("tondo"), 8 5/8" by 8 5/8" (12" diameter in quality round, gold modern framing by Los Angeles framers Jerry Solomon Enterprises Inc.), the title "The Satyr Family", dating to 1657. This is a fine 17th century etching by a talented Old Master...

Original etching RICIULINA AND METZETIN by Jacques Callot printed in 1621 from the series BALLI DI SFESSANIA. Series depict one of the most delightful festivals of Commedia dell’Arte based on fertility dances held in the Tuscan village of Sfessania. Pairs of popular entertainers are framed against the scenes of a fairground. One print from the series of 24 etchings, Lieure catalog number 386, first state of two, on laid paper, cut to the plate. Paper size 72x93mm. Excellent design, beautiful c...

c 1614 Engravings Portraits Prince of Orange and his wife Elenora. Dutch origin, one signed Ant. Sanderus (Ant. Sanderus Gandensis). Fine condition. Each approximately 5 x 7.5".

Nicolas Mignard, French, 1606-1668, "Perseus Slaying Medusa". Etching by Nicolas Mignard after the frescoes of Annibale Carracci depicting scenes from Homer's Odyssey. Plate size 9 7/8 x 17 5/8, published by Pierre Mariette in 1637, with lettering in Latin below the image. Printed on a very early watermarked laid type paper.

A large engraving of a mythological scene of Venus after her bath getting ready for a date with Adonis. The print was made by Etienne Baudet the French engraver who also worked in Rome. It is dated 1672. The print is after one of a series of 4 paintings by Francesco Albani that were commissioned by the Duke of Mantua in 1621. The painting that is the source of this print is now in the Louvre. Sight size 23 ¼ by 27 inches (59 by 68 cm), overall 28 ¼ by 32 ¼ inches (72 by 82 cm). The painter an...

Double-page with woodcuts from popes, kings and famous people of the second half of the 10th century AD.
As part of the world’s sixth age, the chapter deals with the origins and formation of the German Empire.
The Nuremberg Chronicle was published in 1493 by Anton Koberger in an edition of 2000 copies.
Beautiful late Gothic style. The fold paper sheet covers the pages 178/179 and 181/182. Thread stitching marks.
Nuremberg, Latin edition, 1493 AD
Woodcut on la...

2nd Ed. wood cut page #108 printed by Schoensperger. size page 9" by 13.5" mat 14" by 19.5" good condition see images. The work celebrates the exploits and heroic feats of the Emperor Maximilian I in overcoming the difficulties he faced on his journey to seek the hand in marriage of Queen Ernreich (Mary of Burgundy) in 1478.The fraktur type used in the Theuerdank was based on letter forms from a manuscript writing book compiled between about 1507 and 1517 by Leonhard Wagner, possibly for prese...

A group of three engravings probably by Johannas and Raphael Sadeler of Christian anchorites or hermits. The prints are after Maartin De Vos. These images were widely circulated in the early 17th century and printed and re-engraved by engravers other than the Sadelers. Interestingly of the three in this group two have no title, though they are trimmed right to the image and perhaps the title was removed. All three are laid down on early laid paper card, with the colorful surrounds painted adjace...

Leaf of the Margarita philosophica, a general encyclopedia written by Gregor Reisch between 1489 and 1496 in Latin and first published in 1503.
Our sample was edited in March 1504 and printed by Johann Schott, a student of Gregor Reisch.
The sheet is from Chapter VI, which deals with geometric solids and their properties.
To illustrate the three dimensions of space, the author chooses the image of a naked man pierced by three spears, standing for length (longitudo), width (l...

Etching on thin laid paper, 3 3/4" by 2 3/4" (14" by 11" in modern day frame), from the series "Beggars and other low life", by the noted early Dutch artist JAN GILLISZ VAN VLIET (1605-1668). The etching is one image out of a series of ten or eleven similar views by the artist, who, despite information to the contrary, was not strictly a pupil/student of Rembrandt. It is said that he was working as an independent etcher with Rembrandt, collaborating with the latter on translating paintings to ...

Etienne Picart, French, 1632-1721, engraving, "The virgin, St. John and the Christ Child", image sizE: 15 x 18 3/4 inches, LeBl 5 and 4, Provenance: J.W. Randall collection #2490, Picart was a student of Francois de Poilly and is also know as "Le Romain"

Johannes Wierix, Flemish, 1549-1618, "The Crucifixion", "Pilate Washing His Hands". This is a rare 16th century engraving with an image printed on both sides of the sheet. One side has 'The Crucifixion' by Johannes Wierix, after Pieter van der Borcht, the other side has 'Pilate Washing His Hands' engraved by Pieter Huys after Pieter van der Borcht. Each image measures 4 1/2 x 2 7/8 inches, published c. 1571 by Renaissance book printer and publisher Christophe Plantin, printed on a very early lai...

An Old Master woodcut, likely one of 118 images illustrating one of the greatest books of the German Renaissance, going by that same name, Theuerdank. The book is considered something of a chivalric romance, relating the fictionalized, romanticized adventures of Maximilian I in the course of his journey to the Netherlands in 1477 to fetch his bride, Mary of Burgundy. Apparently Maximilian, also known as the Holy Roman Emperor (1459-1519), wanted to achieve a measure of immortality. Wanting to gl...

Original etching by Jacques Callot LE MASSACRE DES INNOCENTS printed in 1618 in Florence, powerful violent biblical scene represented in a European city setting. Lieure catalog number 278, second state of two, excellent impression of this important print. In excellent condition, framed and glazed, not examined outside of frame. Plate size 13,5 x 107 mm (5 3/8 x 4 3/16 inches), frame size 11 x 9 inches.

Engraving with German head line reading: Survey of silver pagan tableware and coins, so found in 1633 at Wettingen under the earth and excavated.
The treasure was hidden in the wake of the Alemannic incursions of the 3rd century AD.
Matthaeus Merian was commissioned to document the finds before they were melted down and distributed among the Swiss cantons of the time.
The large size plates were carefully decorated and inscribed. The tableware had a total weight of three kilo...

Moses and the Brazen Serpent c 1597 Francesco Villamena (Italian, 1566–1624), After Ferraù Fenzoni (Italian, 1562–1645 Italian). Fantastic Renaissance engraving, there are only 3 copys I could find one in the Metropolitan Museum, one on the Boston Museum of art and One in the Royal Collection Buckingham Palace. Good condition framed , size 20" by 15"

Jacob Matham, European, 1571-1631, Engraving after Goltzius, "Saint Mary Magdalen Penitent", First state, image size: 10 1/8 x 7 3/8 inches, Fogg Museum provenance, J W Randall collection #1953

The page deals with the creation of nature and of Adam on the sixth day of Genesis.
Important woodcut with God the Father creating Adam from a lump of clay. The nature on the right is depicted as a harmonious Eden with gentle animals.
The verso, entitled ‘de sanctificatione septime diei’, is about the blessing of the seventh day following the fulfilment of creation.
The spectacular woodcut shows God the Father flanked by a hierarchy of angels, listed on the left as Serap...

Three engravings, from a set (consecutively numbered in Roman numerals), but separate though loosely framed together, margins for the most part tightly trimmed, each measuring roughly 6 1/2" by 5 1/2". The scenes of the old towns are named in Latin, German, and French. Judging from the architecture, the towers and buildings are certainly from the northern part of Europe, most likely Germany. Artist is undetermined at this point. Some research could reveal that information. The prints are lo...

A fine copper engraving of the year 1596, by the noted Old Master JAN PIETERSZ SAENREDAM (1565-1607), featuring young couples in a festive mood, in a Dutch town at the end of the sixteenth century. The print (Hollstein catalogue raisonne #133) is titled "Feiernde und Tanzende Junge Paare" (roughly, "Celebrating and Dancing Young Couples"). It measures 12" by 15 3/8" inside the present mat and the piece is 18 1/2" by 24 3/4" in the contemporary strip gold framing. It is in remarkable condition...

An Old Master woodcut illustration of Theuerdank defeating another knight, one of 118 cuts illustrating one of the greatest books of the German Renaissance, going by that same name, Theuerdank. The book is considered something of a chivalric romance, relating the fictionalized, romanticized adventures of Maximilian I in the course of his journey to the Netherlands in 1477 to fetch his bride, Mary of Burgundy. Apparently Maximilian, also known as the Holy Roman Emperor (1459-1519), wanted to ac...