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WEINMANN, Johann Wilhelm - Melons

Creator: Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
Offered by: Shapero Gallery

Description
WEINMANN, Johann Wilhelm.
Melons.
Hieronymous Lenzius, Regensburg, [1735]-1737-1745.

A fine mezzotint engraving , printed in colour and finished by hand. Plate N. 721.
Paper size: 25.3cm by 38.7cm. Mounted, size: 36cm by 49cm.

attractive plates, being one of the earliest examples of colour printing.

Johann Weinmann (1683-1741) was a Regensburg apothecary who organized the publication of Phytanthoza Iconographia, a huge florilegum which was not only very beautiful but which also influenced the publication of similar works worldwide. “The mezzotint process used here had been invented by Johann Teyler in the Netherlands around 1688. As practiced here by Bartholomaus Seuter (1678-1754) and Johann Elias Ridinger (1698-1767), it was really a combination of etching and mezzotint, which made possible delicate lines and a very fine grain. The addition of hand-tinting brought about unusual and subtle effects” (Hunt).

This was the first botanical series to use color-printed mezzotint successfully. Although he was never acknowledged, nearly half the drawings of this series are by Georg Dionysius Ehret and represent his first published botanical illustrations. Engraved by Bartholomäus Seuter, Johann Ridinger and Johann J. Haid. A most complete, interesting and valuable record of the plants cultivated early in the 18th century.

Some of the plates are marked in the lower right corner with an S or an H, probably referring to the engravers Seuter or Haid.

More Information

Documentation:	Ample Provenance
Origin:	Germany
Period:	18th Century
Materials:	Hand-coloured mezzotint engraving on paper
Condition:	Good.
Creation Date:	1739
Styles / Movements:	Traditional
Patterns:	Florals/Botanical
Book References:	Dunthorne 327; Hunt 494;Nissen BBI 2126; Stafleu TL2 17050.
Dealer Reference #:	106779
Incollect Reference #:	552192

Dimensions

W.	14.17 in;	H.	19.29 in;
W.	36 cm;	H.	49 cm;

Message from Seller:

Based in the heart of Mayfair in London, we specialise in prints and original works on paper across a broad range of subjects, from antique prints to modern pochoir plates, as well as photographs from vintage photography to modern art photography.