Set of 4 sheets: The Four Seasons

Details

Bastelaer, Hollstein 200, 202 II (von II); The New Hollstein 29, 30 II (von II) (Bruegel), Hollstein 201, 202 (Bol).

Provenienz:
Sammlung Heinrich Brockhaus (1804-1874), Leipzig, seitdem in Familienbesitz.

Description

Excellent, even and clear impressions of the complete set of 4 folios, Spring and Summer after Bruegel, Autumn and Winter after Bol, each with the number at lower right. In 1565 Pieter Bruegel the Elder and his publisher Hieronymus Cock began the series of the “Four Seasons”, which was to be engraved by Pieter van der Heyden. Bruegel produced his pen-and-ink drawing for the spring in the same year, and the drawing for the summer in 1568. Hieronymus Cock then commissioned Hans Bol to complete the designs for the autumn and winter, which were finally engraved by van der Heyden in 1570, a year after Bruegel’s death. Pieter Bruegel’s drawings, on which the engravings of spring and summer are based, are now in the Albertina in Vienna and the Kupferstichkabinett in Hamburg. One sheet with a wide margin around the platemark, 2 sheets with a fine margin around the borderlines. – Verso in the corners with remnants and traces of former mounting. One leaf with a brown stain (Bast. 202), 2 leaves with a smoothed centrefold and scattered tiny brown stains (Hollstein 201, 202). One leaf with a closed tear lower left and a backed loss lower right. Verso the upper left and lower corners reinforced, in the lower right corner traces of glue from the mounting on the reverse showing through (Bast. 200). Overall still in good condition. Rare!