Der Blind Tobias (The Blind Tobias); aka: Tobias and the Angel Raphael by Georg Pencz

Der Blind Tobias (The Blind Tobias); aka: Tobias and the Angel Raphael by Georg Pencz

Der Blind Tobias (The Blind Tobias); aka: Tobias and the Angel Raphael

Georg Pencz

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Title

Der Blind Tobias (The Blind Tobias); aka: Tobias and the Angel Raphael

 
Artist

Georg Pencz

  1500 - 1550 (biography)
Year
c. 1543  
Technique
engraving 
Image Size
2 11/16 x 4 3/16" image and paper 
Signature
monogram, upper right corner in box within image 
Edition Size
not applicable 
Annotations
Blue stamp in upper left corner "K.AKAD" recto (Bibliothèque de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts), Lugt 1627.; "K.K.AKAD. WIEN" (Lugt 2571); in pencil on verso: "903??"; engraved in image along bottom edge: "Thobwie Bestelt Den Engel Mit Zu Gen 5. C." 
Reference
Bartsch 16, volume VIII, part III (page 186), number 4 in the 7 print series "The Story of Tobius" (Bartsch 13-19); British Museum E,4.257 
Paper
buff laid 
State
 
Publisher
 
Inventory ID
22716 
Price
$400.00 
Description

This engraving is from a group discovered tucked into a 19th century book of Durer's prints. This impression has the stamp of the "Biblioteque de l'Academie des Beaux-Arts" in the upper left corner of the sheet on the verso (K.AKA.D), Lugt 1627. A check with the current curators resulted in the following response:

"Thank you so much for sending us the photographs and remarks on the Pencz engravings which were formerly part of the Graphic Collection. My dear colleague Konstantin Ferihumer (cc), who is in charge of the provenance research, assumes that, according to the stamp „Als Doubletten veräußert k.k. Akad. Wien“ is is likeable that the engravings were sorted out before 1918 (with the end of the k.k. Monarchy the Academy of Fine Arts also changed its signature stamp).

We have also consulted some archival material which harks back to the 1870´s when for the first time doublets were deliberately sold in a larger scale. (I myself recently came across a similar case when I did some research on our Rembrandt engravings.) However, until now and with only a quick digital research, we could not find any hints on Pencz. It is doubtful that delving into the archive will deliver more than the fact that doublets have indeed been deacessioned, a quite common practise in the late 19th Century, especially under director Carl von Lützow.

Mr. F. and I will nevertheless check whether the stamp is also to be found on the two engravings DG-1.032 and 1.049 >(recently stored in the Albertina depot due to renovation works). The inventory of the Graphic Collection gives no such hint. Also, the indices oft he University Archive (UAAbKW) which we traced back until the early 1870´s did not deliver one match.

As far as we can see, there are no specific reasons for suspicion related to the more „problematic“ periods after 1918. Should we find out more, we will surely keep you informed. For the moment, please do accept our gratidude for signalling the objects. We do appreciate your help very much.

 

Please call us at 707-546-7352 or email artannex@aol.com to purchase this item.