?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
MARTIN SCHONGAUER The Third Wise Virgin<>.
Engraving, circa 1490. 123x84 mm; 5x3 3/8 inches. Ex-collection the British Museum, London (Lugt 300 and 305, verso). Trimmed on or just inside the plate mark, with remains of the inky plate edges. A very good, dark impression with strong contrasts.
From a series of 10 engravings by Schongauer of the Wise and Foolish Virgins which illustrate the parable in Matthew 25:1-13. According to the parable, heaven is likened to the house of a bridegroom. The 5 wise virgins, anticipating that they might have to await the groom, have brought enough oil to keep their lamps burning; they are shown by the artist holding their burning lamps with outstretched arms, facing to the right, with pleasant expressions and with their wedding wreaths on their heads. In contrast, the foolish virgins, unprepared for their grooms' delay, have allowed their oil to run out and have had to go off to buy more. On their return, the bridegroom's door was shut to them. They are shown with downcast expressions, their wedding wreaths on the ground, holding exstinguished lamps and facing left. The wise virgins, ready for their grooms, are like the righteous in their preparedness for entry into heaven.
Lehrs cites only approximately 25 impressions of thie current work. We locate only 5 impressions in North American public collections and have not found any impressions at auction in the past 20 years. Bartsch 79; Lehrs 78.
