1126 - Christoph Jamnitzer, “The Four Estates”, ornamental print, grotesques, winged heads, Nuremberg 1610

Christoph Jamnitzer, “The Four Estates”, ornamental print, grotesques, winged heads, Nuremberg 1610 (1563 Nuremberg – 1618 Nuremberg), etching on paper with watermark (Nuremberg coat of arms), unsigned, sheet from the “Neuw Grotteßken Buch”, Nuremberg 1610, grotesques, four winged heads with various hats, surrounded by fantastical creatures, between them a dragon and scrollwork, condition commensurate with age, folded once, creased, margins with losses, tears in places, stained, image 13x18 cm (HxW), overall size 16x20.5 cm (HxW) Christoph Jamnitzer (1563–1618) was a grandson of the goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer and worked in his native city of Nuremberg as a goldsmith, sculptor, draughtsman and ornamental engraver. His “Neuw Grotteßken Buch” appeared in 1610 as a pattern book which he designed, etched and published himself. The work comprises 60 etchings, together with two title pages, a dedication leaf and a word of greeting. On the plates, grotesques are combined with angels' heads, human figures and auricular ornament. In 1966 a reprint appeared with an introduction by Heinrich Gerhard Franz.