Lot 43: The King receiving a Present from a Huntsman, from: The Unicorn Series (Eisler 32; Bersier 67)

Jean Duvet (1485-circa 1570) The King receiving a Present from a Huntsman, from: The Unicorn Series (Eisler 32; Bersier 67) etching, circa 1545-60, on laid paper, watermark Letters BOV, a good, slightly later impression of this very rare print, with a small margin below, trimmed outside the borderline at left and above and to or just inside the subject at right, in very good condition S. 231 x 395 mm.

. 231 x 395 mm.

circa 1570

Unidentified, inscribed V. Pael. no. 861 in black ink verso (not in Lugt). Ducs d'Arenberg, Brussels and Nordkirchen (L. 567); presumably their sale, Christie's, London, 14 July 1902 (and following days). With William Schab, New York. Albert W. Blum (1882-1952), Switzerland and Short Hills, New Jersey (L. 79b); purchased from the above in 1952.

The print belongs to a series of six engravings depicting the hunt of the unicorn, which according to legend could only be captured by a virgin maiden. The scene depicts the preliminaries of the hunt: the King, attended by the goddess of the hunt, Diana, and surrounded by his huntsmen and hounds, is presented with the quarry’s droppings. According to medieval custom the fumée de cerf were collected and inspected before the hunt, as it was believed that the number of antlers of the stag could be assessed from its droppings. The unicorn cycle has alternately been interpreted as a metaphor of the Passion of Christ and as an allegory of courtly love. Colin Eisler however suggested a more secular and specific interpretation of this scene by identifying the couple as Henri II, the King of France, and his celebrated mistress Diane de Poitiers. Easily recognizable by his highly idiosyncratic, somewhat claustrophobic, tapestry-like style, Jean Duvet’s identity however long remained unknown and early cataloguers referred to this mysterious engraver simply as the ‘Master of the Unicorn’. Bersier records a total of 12 impressions in public collections. To our knowledge no other example has been offered at auction within the last thirty years.