"Various Organs, Fountains, Ironwork, Cartouches..." Book of Engravings

Item Details

Artists/Makers: Johann Jacob Schübler (German, 1689–1741); Christian Friderich Rudolph (German, active mid-18th c.); Franz Xaver Habermann (German, 1721–1796); Published by Martin Engelbrecht and Johann Georg Hertel (Augsburg).

A Sammelband or composite album containing a collection of mid-18th century German Rococo ornamental engravings, primarily executed by leading masters of the ‘Augsburg Style.’ The volume includes various suites of architectural and decorative designs, including fountains, ironwork, cartouches, and furniture.

Notable contents include: Designs for elaborate garden fountains by Johann Jacob Schübler, engraved by Georg Lichtensteger and published by J.G. Hertel (e.g., ‘Gantz compendiose recht anmuthige Figur einer Commoden dreyfachen Wasser-Pumpe’).

A title page for a suite of locksmith/ironwork designs (Schlosser-Arbeiten) by Christian Friderich Rudolph (‘VIII Blatt…’).

The collection is housed in a modern library binding of quarter red cloth over marbled paper boards, with a gilt-lettered spine reading ‘VARIOUS: ORGANS, FOUNTAINS, IRONWORK, CARTOUCHES, ARCHITECTURE, FURNITURE.’ The front pastedown bears a ‘Sycamore Library’ bookplate.

The ‘Augsburg Style’: Augsburg was the center of German printmaking in the 18th century, famous for disseminating the Rococo style throughout Europe. Prints by masters like Schübler and Habermann are highly regarded for their intricate, asymmetrical ‘rocaille’ ornamentation.

‘Sammelband’ vs. Monograph: It was common for 18th-century collectors to bind various suites of prints together into a single volume based on a theme (e.g., architecture or decoration) rather than a single author. These ‘pattern books’ were often working libraries for craftsmen.

Condition

- abrasions to cover; wear to edges; uneven toning and foxing throughout pages.

Dimensions

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Item #

ITMGS43287