Tobias Stimmer

Almost nothing is known about the youth of the painter, draughtsman and printmaker, Tobias Stimmer. Having presumably received his initial artistic training from his father, Christoph Stimmer the Elder, in Schaffhausen, he subsequently worked in Zurich, Konstanz and Strasbourg. It was in the latter city between 1570 and 1577 that Stimmer first climbed to artistic heights. He worked there as an illustrator and printmaker for prominent local publishers such as Bernhart Robin and Theodosius Rihel and produced an extensive and significant corpus of prints. His vividly characterised and technically brilliant woodcut portraits, in particular, were very popular among his contemporaries.

The present portrait of King Henri III, also known as Henri de Valois (1551–1589), brings out all the qualities of Stimmer’s art. The king, who is shown in half length facing left, is wearing an ornamental parade cuirass typical of the period and holds a commander’s baton in his right hand. The young monarch’s pose is energetic and imperious. Stimmer’s strong woodcut technique gives the portrait an elemental power and expressiveness. The print is on offer in an early and very rare state without the ornamental framing. Hollstein also only mentions individual copies of the successive final state in Amsterdam, Gotha and Zurich. A further impression with the allegorical framing is to be found in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. A very fine, powerful impression with the full margins, printed with a distinct relief on the verso. Minor ageing, otherwise in impeccable condition.

EUR 14,000