5152 - Mellan, Claude

Mellan, Claude St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness. Copperplate engraving and etching. 39.2 x 27.3 cm. 1629. Le Blanc 73, Montaiglon 80 II, IFF 84 II (of III). Mark: Maltese cross within a rosary. From a technical standpoint, this print is the first in which Mellan rendered the modeling of the body almost entirely using undulating parallel hatching—a technique that later became the artist’s signature style. An excellent, even, slightly dry impression bearing the date and predating the text revision, with a narrow margin around the plate edge. Minimally dusty overall; mounting and adhesive residues in the corners, where it is slightly stained; otherwise in very good condition. Accompanied by the copperplate engraving “The Benedictine Bishop Claudius Praying in a Mountain Landscape” (Montaiglon 64) by the same artist. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.