CX Heinrich Vogtherr the Younger - Johann Georg Waldreich
By the virtue of the alphabet this volume brings together a curious mix of artists from all three centuries that are the subject of Hollstein. In the epoch from which the first few names of engravers have come down to us, among them titans like Dürer and Schongauer, three modest little ornament prints dated 1487, 1491 and 1492 can be found, one of which also bears the name of its maker, Michel Wagner. In 1504, not far in time, Hans Wagenknecht produced his only known print, which betrays his debt to the aforementioned grand masters. Next in time but much higher in renown is Heinrich Vogtherr the younger, son of the elder of the same name. It is unclear in which projects of his prolific father he was involved, if any, but the 17 fine woodcuts by him, one printed from eight blocks, and the seven etchings for the Augsburger Geschlechterbuch on which he collaborated with Hans Burgkmair the younger attest to his capacities as a printmaker. He was also involved in Maximilian’s triumphal arch, one of the largest woodcut projects ever to be produced. More important may be his work as a painter, but that is not the subject of this catalogue. Of Tobias Volkmer only two woodcuts are known, of Hans Wadel only the portrait of his brother. From Hans Philipp Walch, a painter working in the beginning of the seventeenth century, 9 prints can be traced, while from Wenzel Wagner from Prague we find only three. Therefore, Georg Walch, son of Hans Philipp Walch, with 33 prints, stands out in this volume. In addition to working as an engraver, this Nuremberg citizen also was an art dealer, publisher, composer and musician, he played the organ at local churches and gave singing lessons. A number of his engravings are reproductions of famous prints from the Netherlands attesting to their broad range across Germany. He also portrayed a number of noblemen and burgers. The final and most prolific printmaker in this volume is Johann Georg Waldreich of Augsburg. He is perhaps also the latest, dying in 1680. He worked after Matthias Scheits, especially in the case of the large prints for the Lüneburg bible, after Johann (?) Weidner and after Jonas Umbach and Joachim von Sandrart for different book projects. Interesting as a phenomenon is his reproduction of the so-called drawing book of Abraham Bloemaert, a collection of sketches that were copied and reprinted for many decades. Waldreich’s edition has only 24 tables, much fewer than the original, but again representing the lure of the arts of the Netherlands during the seventeenth century.
Published in 2025 Compiler: Dieter Beaujean Editor: Gero Seelig ISBN: 978-94-835763-1-2 302 pp.
