Book Description

Martin Schongauer (ca. 1450?1491) was the greatest Northern European printmaker of his time. A painter by training, he elevated engraving from a minor off-shoot of the goldsmith?s craft to a popular and prestigious art. His technical and artistic achievements opened the way to many followers, first and foremost Albrecht Durer. Max Lehrs?s authoritative catalogue of Schongauer?s prints was first published in 1925, as part of his encyclopedic treatise on the early engravers of northern Europe, and has long been out of print. For each engraving in Schongauer?s oeuvre, the catalogue provides a detailed description of the engraving, its variant states (if any), lists of impressions and watermarks, a discussion and bibliography of previous research, and a listing of engraved copies and other artwork inspired by the engraving. The catalogue distinguishes several grades of quality among the impressions, and notes the different watermarks represented by each grade, a major aide in the dating of the prints, and an invaluable tool to the art historian and collector.This volume presents the first English edition of the catalogue, adding reproductions of all the engravings and of their major variant states. Introductions by AlanShestack (1969) and Charles Minott (1971) are included, which present advances in Schongauer scholarship since Lehrs.The catalogue is followed by an illustrated list of watermarks, a list of copies and forgeries misattributed to Schongauer by earlier scholars, a list of collections mentioned in the text, and an index of the engravings.