FABULOUS BEASTS

DOMINICO DE ROSSI

The framed Centaurs and the Satyr are from the De Rossi series c 1704.
Typical of Di Rossi, his style is tightly engraved, fluid and executed with
expert draftsmanship . His study of the two statues, the centaur and the satyr,
exemplifies his skill of bringing the inannimate into a life giving and playful vignette.

These prints are largely in perfect condition and being early pulls from the plates,
the finest lines are well articulated.
Each is sold for C$1500, framed in tarnished silver hand leafed frame with stirling silver band on the mat.

EDWARD TOPSELL

These prints of unicorns, dragons and a gulon are fine
examples from one of the earliest natural history books
'HISTORY OF FOUR-FOOTED BEASTS AND SERPENT'S'
edited by John Rowland c 1658.

These are from the second edition of the book. The original was published in 1607, and the reprint
retained the original wood cuts. What is peculiar about these images was that although
technically in the Baroque period, the prints herald back to a much earlier period
of the High Renaissance: stylised depictions of the real and imagined.

These prints are in virtually perfect condition
selling for C$300 and C$400 respectively (by size).The large prints are 9" x 13.5".



SATYRS were attendants of Pan and Bacchus looking very much like Pan but with legs of a goat.
MONKEYS were frequently classified as satyrs in the middle ages!
UNICORNS being the cruelist of all beasts, were never to be caught alive. The
rarity of the beast and it's horn made it a favourite with medieval writers.
The DRAGON is among the oldest of all mythological creatures appearing in the traditions of virtually all peoples.
The GULON was a cross between a hyena and a lioness,whose eating habits later came to symbolize the gluttonous lifestyle.

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