HONDIUS Henry (1573-1650), BRUEGEL Peter (by), Three epileptics. 1642 r.

Copperplate, ribbed paper. Signed on plate m.d.: "Hhondius sculp: 1642. Cum pr.". First state of the print. On the left the engraved number 2 in the margin. Dimensions of the print 21.4 x 16.3 cm, on backing: 23.8 x 20.2 cm.
Condition: print cropped with small (2mm) margins, glued to paper backing in l.g. and p.g. parts. Rust spots in places. Tear in p.d. corner (taped on back).

Extremely impressive copperplate engraving by Henry Hondius, based on a now lost painting by Peter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569).
According to the British Museum's curatorial description of the print: "There are at least three drawings after Bruegel's lost original, with three groups of figures in one composition, in Amsterdam, Berlin and Vienna. This print is part of a series of three panels depicting the annual pilgrimage of epileptics to St. John's Church in Molebeek, near Brussels. [translated from English after British Museum website].


Lit:
Bastelaer 1908 / Les estampes de Peter Bruegel l'ancien (224)
Lebeer 1969 / Catalogue raisonné des estampes de Bruegel l'ancien (93.I/II)
Hollstein / Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts c.1450-1700 (224.I/II)
New Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) / The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts 1450-1700 (32.I/II)

Henry Hondius (1573-1650) - Flemish engraver and publisher in The Hague. He established his own business in 1597 and, in an attempt to find the most favorable location for his business, moved to the port city of Amsterdam around 1603 and then to Leiden in 1604; in the last phase of his career, from around 1640 until his death in 1650, Hondius again became more actively involved in publishing.