GERMAN SCHOOL, EARLY 17TH CENTURY
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GERMAN SCHOOL, EARLY 17TH CENTURY

An allegory of Astronomy (?)

Details
GERMAN SCHOOL, EARLY 17TH CENTURY
An allegory of Astronomy (?)
with inscription ‘astronomie.’ (upper left on the mount)
black chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash
26.7 x 19.5 cm (10 1⁄2 x 8 3⁄4 in.)
Special notice
This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

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Lot Essay

This drawing is similar in certain ways to the style of drawings by the Ausgburg artist Lucas Kilian (1579-1637), a prolific print designer; see, for instance, his (signed?) depiction of the Muse Terpsichore in a private collection (H. Geissler, Zeichnung in Deutschland. Deutsche Zeichner 1540-1640, Stuttgart 1979, II, no. F 28, ill.). His engraving of Astrology in the print series of the Seven Liberal Arts, dated 1606 (Hollsteins German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, XVII, Amsterdam, 1976, p. 148, no. 557), holds the same attributes – a compass and a globe – as the seated woman seen here, but the present allegory seems to be broader in subject matter. The standing figure, accompanied by a turtle, may symbolise touch, while the woman with the city crown and key personifies a town.

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