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BEHAM, Barthel, The Judgment of Paris
Painter, engraver, etcher and possibly designer of woodcuts, brother of (1) Sebald Beham. He is best known for his painted portraits and for his su… [Read biography »]
Barthel Beham (1502 - 1540), Original Engraving, The Judgment of Paris  |
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| Artist: | Beham, Barthel (1502 - 1540) |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Judgment of Paris |
| Medium: | Original Engraving |
| Image Size: | 2 1/8 in x 2 1/8 in (5.4 cm x 5.4 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | approx. 3 in x 3 in (7.62 cm x 7.62 cm) |
| Framed Size: | 19 1/4 in x 19 1/4 in (48.9 cm x 48.9 cm) |
| Signed: | unsigned |
| Edition: | A very fine lifetime impression |
| Condition: | This work is in excellent condition, this piece is a fine dark black impression with a strong plate mark and large margins |
| Price: Item# 1250 | $SOLD Please visit the rest of our BEHAM inventory » |
| Description: | |
The intimate scale of this work draws the viewer in to inspect all of the minute shapes and lines, giving a sense of mystery and delicacy to this piece. Illustrating a pinnacle moment in mythology, the circular format of the image gives this scene a sense of importance and iconography. This original engraving is printed on a fine laid paper; it is in excellent condition with a strong plate mark and a fine dark black impression. Documented as Bartsch 26. Paris is seated at the right on a stone block as he presents Aphrodite with the apple of discord. 'In classical mythology, this was the incident that ultimately brought on the Trojan War. When the goddess Discord threw the apple of discord, marked "For the Fairest," among the gods, Zeus refused to judge which goddess was the most beautiful, but sent the three contestants-Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera-to the Trojan prince Paris for a decision. Each made offers to induce Paris to give her the apple. Athena and Hera offered military or political power, but Aphrodite said that he could have the most beautiful woman in the world. He gave the apple to Aphrodite, thereby making powerful enemies of Athena and Hera.' (online archive) Each of the figures is intricately rendered, with delicate features and graceful lines. The three women are grouped on the left, with the two males on the right, in a small but powerful composition. The expressions in each of the figure's faces are intently portrayed with significant nuances, as to relate to the viewer the importance of this moment. Catalogue Raisonné & COA: 1) A Masterworks Certificate of Authenticity will be included with the sale of this work. About the Framing: | |
| Style: | Old master |
Biography of Barthel Beham
Painter, engraver, etcher and possibly designer of woodcuts, brother of (1) Sebald Beham. He is best known for his painted portraits and for his superb small engravings of Classical themes. The year of his birth is verified in a portrait of 1531 by Ludwig Neufahrer (d 1563), which gives Barthel’s age as 29. His early works (c. 1520) are engravings obviously influenced in choice of subject, composition and graphic means by Albrecht Dürer and by his brother Sebald, both of whom are considered to have been his teachers. Barthel’s interest in antiquity, as transmitted through the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi, is evident as early as 1524 in subjects that are Classically inspired and erotic (e.g. Cimon and Pero, B. 11; Cleopatra, B. 12) and in figures that, though still in Dürer’s manner, are fuller in form. Barthel’s representations of peasants (1524; B. 46, 47) continued the tradition of small engravings featuring one or two peasants begun by Dürer around 1497 (B. 89–90) and continued by Sebald Beham (B. 191–5). If Röttinger’s attribution to Barthel of a dozen or so woodcuts (Geisberg, nos 251–62) is correct (Stewart, 1993, favours Sebald), then it would seem that in the 1530s the brothers developed this theme into large woodcuts depicting rural festivals, with many peasants celebrating together. These works are uncharacteristically clumsy, perhaps due to lack of skill on the woodcutters’ part. Altogether Barthel created 92 engravings and etchings, the subjects and styles of which often coincide wth Sebald’s, and indeed vice versa, for his elder but longer-lived brother often used Barthel’s designs as models in later years. The intaglio prints are small and finely engraved, but only a few bear his monogram. As with Sebald, the form of this changed from an early BP, reflecting Nuremberg dialect, to BB from 1531.
