TENIERS, David, II (1610-1692) - El Teatro de pinturas de David Teniers.. en qual se representan bosquejados por su mano, y esculpidos por su cuento, los originales Italianos que recogio el Serenissimo Archiduque [Leopoldo] en su Sala de Pinturas en la Corte de Brusselas. Brussels and Antwerp: presso l'autore, 1660. The first illustrated printed catalogue of a major collection of paintings. In 1650 Teniers was appointed Court Painter to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, the cousin of Philip IV of Spain and Governor of the Southern Netherlands, who formed a remarkable collection of some 1,300 paintings. Many of these were acquired from the celebrated collection of James, first Duke of Hamilton, following his execution for treason in 1649; so assiduous was Hamilton in the formation of his collection, that, 'An inventory of under a half of his collection in 1649 listed, inter alia, thirty-six paintings by Titian, twenty-four by Palma Giovane, eighteen by Palma Vecchio, twelve by Veronese, nine by Tintoretto, and others by Raphael, Correggio, Giorgione, and Leonardo' (ODNB). Teniers' duties extended to acting as the curator of Leopold Wilhelm's collection, and in this capacity he planned El Teatro de pinturas, painting copies of each of the 242 paintings chosen to be included in the work, which were used by the team of engravers responsible for the plates. The majority of the paintings engraved were acquired from the Hamilton collection, and they include oils by Raphael, Giorgione, Veronese, Carracci, Titian, Michelangelo, Correggio, and Mantegna, and each has the dimensions given beneath the image. This copy is bound with the arms of the Archduke. Only one other copy is recorded as having sold at auction on RBH (Christie's 2007, £18,000). Folio (418 x 174mm). Titles in Spanish, Latin, French and Dutch with engraved vignettes with the arms of the Archduke by Coenrad Waumans, each followed by 3 leaves which include the author's index with woodcut initials and tailpieces, engraved allegorical portrait of the Archduke by Troyen, engraved portrait of Teniers by Lucas Vosterman after Peter Thys bound at end, 241 engraved plates of which 5 double-page including a view of Leopold's picture gallery, one of Palma continuing behind the fold, and the remainder after paintings in the collection (some light soling and occasional spotting mainly marginal or in text leaves, minor reinforces to verso of a few leaved including the second title which has a small repaired tear to bottom margin, some other minor marginal tears, one to a plate). Contemporary calf with the arms of the Archduke and gilt decorations (worn). The number of plates differs slightly from the ones in the copy sold by Christie's in 2007 which is first described as "243 engraved plates, 7 double-page" and then as "copies of each of the 242 paintings chosen to be included in the work". The copy was bound in an inlaid format with two leaves with engraved borders bound in at the beginning.

Estimate € 5,000 - 8,000

Sold € 5,500