Zephire et Flore

Plate from Recueil des marbres antiques qui se trouvent dans la Galerie du Roy de Pologne à Dresden […], published in Dresden by Raymond Le Plat, in 1735.

The collection of ancient and modern art at Dresden had been established by Friedrich August I (“Augustus the Strong”), who died in the same year as this book was published. He had bought antiquities from Frederick William I of Prussia (including the Bellori collection of Roman portraits) and from the Chigi and Albani families of Rome (including sculpture, vases, bronzes and mummies). Several Roman antiquities had arrived in Dresden as recently as 1729.

The plates have no accompanying explanatory texts, but most are captioned. Subjects are chiefly mythological (the collection includes copies of some famous works, such as Praxiteles's “Satyr” and Scopas's “Maenad tearing a goat”).

Almost all the plates are signed by draughtsmen and engravers. The draughtsmen were A.M. Wernerin, Joh. Justin Preissler, M. Tuscher or H. Preissler. The engravers were Lorenzo Zucchi, C.F. Boetius, Georg Mart. Preissler, Johann Balthasar Probst, Bernigeroth, Johann David Hertz, Iac. Gottlieb Thelot, Iac. Andr. Fridrich, Christian Philipp Lindemann, Hieronymus Sperling, “MB”, Joh. Jac. Steltzer or Chr. Raym. Thoman.


Etching, in very good condition.