Nov 02, 2023 - Sale 2651

Sale 2651 - Lot 23

Unsold
Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 8,000
LUCAS VAN LEYDEN
Susanna and the Elders.

Engraving, 1506-10. 197x145 mm; 7 3/4x5 3/4 inches, narrow margins. A New Hollstein b-c impression (of d). Partial elaborate small coat-of-arms watermark. With thread margins or trimmed on the plate mark. A very good, dark, evenly-inked and early impression with strong contrasts.

Provenance: Bibliothek der Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna, with the ink stamps (Lugt 1627, upper left recto; Lugt 2575, verso).

According to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where there is another impression of this subject by Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533), "Two elders, men held in high esteem, spy upon Susanna bathing in her garden. Overcome by lust, they try to persuade her to have intercourse with them. Should she refuse, they will accuse her of adultery. The man at the right entreats his companion, who still wavers, to go along with his sordid plan. Fully clad, Susanna is bathing her feet." Bartsch 33; Volbehr 33; New Hollstein 33.