Here we have a very rare etching by Rembrandt disciple Georg Friedrich Schmidt. The piece was created in 1748 and is entitled "Bust of an Old Man." The materials include provenance from Christopher Mendez, a London-based dealer in old master engravings. The rare print came out of an old estate of an art collector in the Minneapolis area.
Here is the
catalogue raisonne for Georg Friedrich Schmidt . The entry for number 111, "Bust of an Old Man", is found on page 68.
The catalogue is in French. Here is the Google Translation for the section:
"The body of an old man, seen half-way round, the head of which is converted from a fur-trimmed cap, adorned with a gay feather, leans to the left of the lamp, and a square beard rises up to the temples. The body was furiously covered with a belt around his chest, and a mad dog was lying on his chin. To the right of the flashlight, between the edge and the cap, is read, G.F. Schmidt inv. & fec. The year is not marked, but it is made 1748. The h. is 3% 8.1. China's paper industry is very precarious. We have a copy made by The Next, an engraver in Leipzig."
Outstanding. I tip my cap to the "mad dog" bit.
Here is a biography of Georg Friedrich Schmidt courtesy of Wikipedia:
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He studied art in Berlin under Busch, and under Nicolas Larmessin in Paris. In 1744 he was appointed engraver to Frederick II in Berlin, and in 1757 he was summoned to Saint Petersburg by the Empress Elizabeth to engrave her portrait and to organize a school of engraving. His engravings and etchings in the style of Rembrandt rank with the best work of the eighteenth century in Germany. He engraved about 200 plates, the best of which are “The Empress Elizabeth of Russia,” “Count Nicholas Eszterházy,” “Pierre Mignard,” “The Virgin and Child with Saint John,” “The Raising of Jairus's Daughter,” and “The Mother of Rembrandt.”
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The etching measures 5 7/8" tall and 4 7/8" wide. There are a few slight foxing spots, especially along the left horizontal border (see pic). Please see all pics as they are part of the description.
This is a super rare etching from way back in the European day. And there's a mad dog lying on his chin. This one is playing out well.
