Title: |
Dialectica |
Artist: |
Pencz, Georg (Nuremberg, C. 1500 - Breslau, 1550) |
Date: |
c. 1541 |
Medium: |
Original Engraving |
Note: |
Georg Pencz: Generally regarded as one of the greatest
original engravers of his time, Georg Pencz was admitted into the illustrious
Nuremberg Guild of Artists in 1523, after he had served his apprenticeship
under none other than Albrecht Durer. Pencz, in fact, is the only known
student of Durer. Although his first commissioned works of art were paintings,
Pencz came into close contact in this decade with the brothers, Barthel
Beham and Hans Sebald Beham. Together, these three talented engravers
would come to be known to history as the 'Little Masters', so named because
all three created incomparable miniature engravings on a scale such as
this original example. |
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Georg Pencz lived in tumultuous times. Sparked by the resistance
of Martin Luther and his followers, religious struggles were at the forefront.
Along with several other prominent artists and writers, Pencz was accused
of 'heresy' and was banished from Nuremberg in 1524. Far from it adversely
affecting his art, the sentence gave Georg Pencz the opportunity to travel
widely, particularly in Italy. There, Pencz came under the powerful influence
of the Italian Renaissance, most notably the designs of Raphael and the
engraving school of Marc-Antonio Raimondi. It is speculated that he created
his first engraving there in 1535. Shortly thereafter Pencz returned to
Germany and in the following fifteen year span produced an outstanding
oeuvre of over one hundred miniature engravings, most dealing with scenes
from the Old and New Testaments and from classical mythology. |
|
More than any other artist, Pencz successfully amalgamated
the best elements of Northern and Southern Renaissance art. This original
engraving serves as a prime example, for in this miniature masterpiece
one can detect the firm outlines and psychological tensions so dominant
in German Renaissance art, with the fine shadings and the grace and beauty
of form so characteristic of the high Italian Renaissance. Only a true
master such as Georg Pencz could accomplish all these marvels within such
an amazingly small architectural space. |
|
"Dialectica" belongs to a series of engravings
created to depict the "Seven Liberal Arts". Most scholars agree that
Pencz made these engravings in or around the year 1541. "Dialectica"
represents the art of disputation by the investigation of truth by analysis
and logic. As befits her station, Georg Pencz arms "Dialectica" with a
manuscript in one hand and balancing scales in the other. She is accompanied
by a Putti or Cupid who helps in balancing the scales. |
Raisonne: |
The Illustrated Bartsch, Volume 16. Catalogue # 111, First and Only State. |
|
It is mentioned that a copy of Dialectica exists.
It is, however, easy to determine the copy as it was made in reverse and
lacks Pencz's monogram. |
Provenance: |
Unknown Collector (LUGT 2808, Verso) |
Source: |
The Seven Liberal Arts |
Size: |
2 7/8 X 2 (Sizes in inches are approximate,
height preceding width of plate-mark or image.) |
|
Framed and Matted with 100% Archival Materials |
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View larger Framed Image |
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Condition: |
Printed upon sixteenth century hand-made, laid paper and
with margins trimmed to the plate-mark, as is usual for early old master
engravings and etchings. Bearing an unknown collector's imprint on the
verso. Signed in the plate by Pencz with his famous 'PG' monogram. It
is a fine, early impression showing little sign of wear and in excellent
condition throughout. Dialectica represents a prime, original example
of the famous art of Georg Pencz, one of Germany's finest Renaissance
engravers. |
Price: |
Sold - The price is no longer available. |
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