“ America you have it better ,
than our Continent the old ”
( Goethe )
Good Grand Old Party
Ridinger, Johann Elias (Ulm 1698 – Augsburg 1767). The Vengeance of a Lowly on a Mighty is pernicious. An elephant – for the Indian poets
“ symbol of wisdom and sympathy …
and eight elephants support the universe ”
(Meyer’s Convers.-Lex., 4th ed., 510), one of them together then the leader of the Republicans, too, – travelling on an educational trip through Europe has hurt inadvertently a pertness little fox whereupon its whole tribe considered to punish the colossus. But
shortly “the army was pulverized”.
Etching + engraving. (1744.) Inscribed: J. E. Ridinger inv. sculp. et excud., otherwise as above in German, French, and Latin. 33.6 x 25.1 cm.
Thienemann + Schwarz 771. – Sheet 7 of the intellectually as optically exceedingly charming “Instructive Fables from the Animals’ Kingdom for the Improvement of the Manners
and especially for the Instruction of the Youth ”
by which
“ Ridinger pursued a typical purpose of his epoch. A ‘Correction of Manners’ by the morale efficacy of art – though in quite a different manner – William Hogarth, almost of the same age as Ridinger, had attempted by his paintings and prints … Yet while Hogarth and Chodowiecki tried to gain recognition for their (identical) ideas by satirical sets, as A Rake’s Progress, 1735 (compl. set & single sheets available) … Ridinger built on the – especially suitable to him (that is, so he himself, ‘since the hoary times of the ancient ages’) – tradition of the animal fable ”
(Stefan Morét, Ridinger Catalog Darmstadt, 1999, p. 96).
“ The elephant did a travel to Europe … (and) came through a large forest and had the misfortune to tread off the tail of a young fox who was, by forwardness to view him, coming too near to him. The fox … set up a great shout and called to his folks to revenge this shame and insult, which
this ( Non-European )
has done to him. All came to terms about this and considered how they could attack so that their revenge would be carried out. It did not lack of artfulness and rage, but, however, it went off badly. Some the elephant trampled to death, others he took up with his trunk
( “… in the trunk they have an almost incredible power …
whereby they could give dreadful strokes …” )
and threw them into the height … This went so to heart of an old fox that he set up to yell: Oh tyrannical manifestation! No, the elephant said,
on such a revenge such a deserts follows ”
(Ridinger in the separate accompanying text).
The watercoloured original pen drawing in the same direction from the Weigel sale (not in the 1869 catalogue of the bequeathed drawings), figuring as “Splendid, completely executed water colour” per lot 110 on the 1890 Ridinger sale at Wawra in Vienna, now in a Bavarian Ridinger collection. That drawing in reverse used for the transfer on the copper-plate was on the market in the 1980s. And an executed study of the elephant in the 1990s in America.
Splendid early impression . – Without the numbering above right unknown in general, but appearing later. – Lying loosely on bluish-grey laid paper of the early 18th century watermarked SICKTE along with a C, open to the left, under a crown of a prince (Von Veltheim paper mill at Sickte, Lower Saxony) on which it was mounted in the second half of the 19th century. – Above mostly trimmed on platemark, otherwise throughout with a little margin additionally to the fine white platemark itself. – Brown stipples in the left ear of the elephant.
Offer no. 12,505 / EUR 649. / export price EUR 617. (c. US$ 840.) + shipping
For more single sheets of the set see
“ The fable belongs to the artist as to the poet, and one lighted the other’s light ”
(Chr. L. Hagedorn 1762)
“ I hereby confirm safe receipt of the two dias you so kindly sent us … Thank you so much for your kind help and splendid service ”
(Mrs. M. K., September 16, 2003)