{"id":42288,"date":"2025-01-21T02:36:46","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/?post_type=product&p=42288"},"modified":"2025-01-21T02:36:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:36:46","slug":"old-master-the-alchemist-von-prenner-antique-print-vienna-c-1775","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/product\/old-master-the-alchemist-von-prenner-antique-print-vienna-c-1775\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Master, The Alchemist, von Prenner, Antique Print, Vienna, c. 1775"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Flemish artist David Ryckaert III was the artist who created the original painting in 1649 \u2013 now referred to as The Alchemis<\/strong>t \u2013 on which the print was based. It was issued with other etchings as part of Theatrum Artis Pictoriae, Quo Tabulae Depictae Quae In Caesarea Vindobonensi Pinacotheca Servantur<\/strong>, published in Vienna in 1729. This book of etchings recorded images of various important paintings in royal collections in Vienna. The Alchemist original painting is now in the collection what is commonly referred to as the picture gallery, in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Gem\u00e4ldegalerie, in Vienna. The original composition by Ryckaert was later adapted by the German artist Christopher Paudiss, who is solely credited as the source of the image in the etching by von Prenner. The Kunsthistorisches describes the original painting in their collection as a vanitas:<\/p>\n

Ryckaert\u2019s alchemist is sitting in his candle-lit study; his desk is laden with objects readily identified as symbols of Vanitas \u2013 skull, hourglass, books and manuscripts function as reminders of the transience of all earthly things. A symbol of death, the skeleton depicted in the book he is holding completes this allegorical composition. The old man\u2019s gaze aimlessly wanders over the globe in the foreground, presumably a reminder of the fact that the whole world is subject to the universality of death.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anton Joseph von Prenner (1683-1761) was an Austrian engraver, painter, and publisher. Details about his life are largely unknown; however, he is believed to have been born in Wallerstein, Bavaria in 1683. Von Prenner\u2019s artistic career began with various religious and allegorical commissions throughout Eastern Europe, including various altarpiece paintings and mural work. In 1728, von Prenner moved to Vienna to accept a position as court engraver to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, the last Habsburg dynasty ruler. In this role, von Prenner introduced a sophisticated use of light and shadow to court artworks. At this time Von Prenner created and published a series of etchings of notable paintings in the royal collections of Vienna for Theatrum Artis Pictoriae, Quo Tabulae Depictae Quae In Caesarea Vindobonensi Pinacotheca Servantur<\/strong> (Vienna 1729). Von Prenner was particularly noted for his artistic ability to capture the demeanors and idiosyncrasies of the Viennese Habsburg aristocrats and today is a celebrated figure in Austrian portraiture.<\/p>\n

Christopher Paudiss (also known as Christophe Baudiz) (1618-1667) was a German Baroque painter known for everyday life scenes and portraiture, active in modern-day Stuttgart, Prague, Dresden, Vienna, and Salzburg. Paudiss was a student of Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt and incorporated popular memento mori motifs, such as skulls, hourglasses, and extinguished candles, into his works. Paudiss\u2019 made numerous genre paintings with a notably bleak, dark color palette; however, Paudiss is also known for his portrait commissions of aristocrats and a few religious works. Today, The Freisinger Di\u00f6zesanmuseum holds the largest collections of his works. Other paintings by Paudiss can be found at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.<\/p>\n

David Ryckaert III (1612-1661) was a Flemish genre painter based in Antwerp. Born into a family of artists and art dealers, Ryckaert III began his career in landscape scenes before pivoting early on into figurative work, primarily painting lively peasants, studious alchemists, and eerie, fantastical hellscapes. Ryckaert III found significant success as a painter, serving as master of the famed Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke from 1636-1637 while contributing to the decoration of Habsburg governor Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand\u2019s ceremonial parade alongside Jan van Eyck and Rubens. His work was well received by patrons of his period, with notable collectors including the Archduke Leopold Wilheim of Austria.<\/p>\n

Condition: Generally very good, recently professionally cleaned and deacidified, with light remaining, wear, handling, toning, soft creases. Later blank margins professionally supplied as backed on mulberry paper.<\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

\u201cA man studying an anatomy text in a studio.\u201d Science History Institute Museum and Library. https:\/\/digital.sciencehistory.org\/works\/c821gk430 (5 December 2024).<\/p>\n

\u201cA philosopher in his study, reading a book containing a print of a skeleton.\u201d Wellcome Collection. https:\/\/wellcomecollection.org\/works\/u5ua3nt3 (5 December 2024).<\/p>\n

\u201cAnton Joseph von Prenner.\u201d RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History. https:\/\/research.rkd.nl\/en\/detail\/https%3A%2f%2fdata.rkd.nl%2fartists%2f64733#Biographical (5 December 2024).<\/p>\n

\u201cChristopher Paudiss.\u201d Wikipedia. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christopher_Paudi%C3%9F (9 December 2024).<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid Ryckaert III.\u201d Wikipedia. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/David_Ryckaert_III (9 December 2024).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Ryckaert III (1612-1661) (artist)
\nChristopher Paudiss (also known as Christophe Baudiz) (1618-1667) (after) Anton Joseph von Prenner (1683-1761) (etcher)
\nThe Alchemist<\/strong>
\nFrom Theatrum Artis Pictoriae, Quo Tabulae Depictae Quae In Caesarea Vindobonensi Pinacotheca Servantur [The Theater of the Pictorial Art, in Which the Paintings Are Kept in the City of Vienna]<\/strong>
\nAnton Joseph von Prenner, Vienna: c. 1728-29
\nEtching on laid paper
\n10 x 12.25 inches
\n$975<\/p>\n

A 17th Century cabinet of curiosities of a European alchemist.<\/em><\/p>\n

An old master etching by Austrian artist Anton Joseph von Prenner depicting a mid-17th century alchemist in his fascinating cabinet of curiosities study. He is illuminated by candlelight and seated among his various anatomical models (including an \u00e9corch\u00e9), as well as alchemy and astronomy instruments, skulls, and academic texts. The composition reflects Continental influences of subject matter and style, depicting a scientist or scholarly figure in his daily life at work in an intimate interior, surrounded by the paraphernalia of his study. A sub-category of genre painting, the daily life of scholars was a frequent theme explored by 17th century Netherlandish, Flemish, and German artists, elevating the solitary academic studies of their subjects to a revered, sacred pursuit of knowledge. The composition can also be considered to be related to the genre of Vanitas paintings, a popular subject in art, filled with symbols reflecting the limited time of human life. Extant examples of the etching belong to the collections of the Science History Institute in Philadelphia and the Wellcome Collection in London, among others.<\/p>\n

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