“ To Nature and your Self appeal ,
Nor learn of others , what to feel ”
Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). The Time Smoking a Picture (As Statues moulder into Worth). Saturn as winged death heartily smoking at a painting to give it the major orders, cutting it with his scythe at the same time. Engraving. 24.6 x 18.3 cm.
With distich. – Originally intended as subscription ticket for “Sigismunda”, Hogarth aims at both the so-called connoisseurs as the “mean trading with antiques”:
“ The honourable Saturn gives the higher merit to a painting by heartily smoking tobacco at it to bring forth those valuable tender inks which create the higher worth. Art collectors may imitate him and hang newer paintings, like ham, under the chimney hood. … To bestow the soot of the smoke furthermore with a more shining ink a pot with the inscription: Varnish stands besides. The broken off hand of an antique torso points at it as a necessary requirement to raise the artificial value of the tender or rather smoky inks by shine ”
(Lichtenberg).
Impression from the plate retouched by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834) about 1822 (“Even these impressions have become relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4th ed., VIII [1888], 625: “A fine edition”, esteemed also already by contemporary collectors of the rank of for instance an A. T. Stewart [Catalog of the Stewart Collection, New York 1887, 1221, “fine plates”]) on buff paper. – At top with 2-4 mm white paper margin in addition to the platemark, laterally with extreme, below with fine wide margins.
Offer no. 15,385 / EUR 98. (c. US$ 132.) + shipping
– – – The same in engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Hogarth pinxt. / T. Cook sculpt. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, March 1st. 1809. Subject size 16.8 x 14 cm.
Cook “made his mark as Hogarth engraver, too, whose complete work he has engraved in copy” (Thieme-Becker) and whose original format he maintained contrary to all later Hogarth editions in his first, earlier edition. For some sheets not published by Hogarth himself Cook became their first engraver, just as he also gained approval of a contemporary connoisseur as Maximilian Speck von Sternburg. Present here, however, in his popular second, smaller version. – Trimmed within the broad white platemark.
Offer no. 15,387 / EUR 69. (c. US$ 93.) + shipping
– – – The same in engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840). Inscribed: 73. / W. Hogarth inv. / R. sc. 25.2 x 18.2 cm. – Very fine early impression of almost the original size.
Offer no. 15,382 / EUR 148. (c. US$ 199.) + shipping
– – – The same by Riepenhausen in an impression on slightly toned minor paper. – Small paper scrape off in the lateral plate margin repaired.
Offer no. 15,384 / EUR 89. (c. US$ 119.) + shipping
– – – The same by Riepenhausen in an impression on especially strong paper of about 1850. – The wide white margin partially somewhat stained.
Offer no. 15,383 / EUR 118. (c. US$ 158.) + shipping
– – – The same in lithograph by C. F. Heintz. (1833-36.) Inscribed: 52. / Lith. v. C. F. Heintz … / (“Der Zeitgott raucht ein Gemälde an!”). 29.1 x 16.4 cm. – Without the distich in the free field, but with comprehensive subtext in German.
Offer no. 15,386 / EUR 89. (c. US$ 119.) + shipping
– – – The same in steel engraving. C. 1840. Inscribed: Die Zeit beräuchert ein Gemälde. / Time Smoking A Picture. 18.5 x 14 cm. – On the right trimmed on the outer borderline.
Offer no. 7,800 / EUR 29. (c. US$ 39.) + shipping
„ … zugleich bedanke ich mich für alles, was Sie im alten Jahr für mich getan haben. Mit vielen Grüßen Ihr … “
(Herr W. W., 20. Dezember 2008)