MASTER ES | THE VISITATION (LEHRS 16)

Property from the Collection of the Late Walter L. Strauss
MASTER ES
Active circa 1450-67
THE VISITATION (LEHRS 16)

Engraving, mid-fifteenth century, a very good impression of this extremely rare print (Lehrs records five impressions of this subject), framed
sheet: 128 by 80mm 5 by 3⅛in

We are grateful to Nicholas Stogdon for his assisstance in cataloguing this lot.

Condition Report:
With a thread margin below, trimmed to the plate mark above and outside the borderlines at left and right, in generally good condition, a few wormholes and thinning and a small assocated made up area to the left of the Virgin, a tiny brown stain on Saint Elizabeth's cloak and a fox mark on her arm, framed.

"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Provenance:
Certainly the impression recorded by Lehrs in the collection of the Counts Maltzan, Militsch, in Silesia (see Lugt 3024a), described by Lehrs as fine but a little uneven, and as having a margin top and bottom and some wormholes. The collection is particularly associated with Joachim IV von Maltzan (1593-1654) and was exceptional for its 15th century engravings; the sheets rarely bear any inscription. The late owner probably bought the print from Richard H. Zinser, who bought or at least sold the most important sheets in the postwar years, after the collection had been removed from the family home before it was overrun by the Russians. A residue was sold by C. G. Boerner in 1983. The late owner’s pencil inscription on the verso, to the effect that this is the impression formerly in the collection of Friedrich August II, King of Saxony, Dresden, is incorrect; that impression is stamped and was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1937