Mengs, Anton Raphael "Amor, seinen goldnen Pfeil scharfnend." [Cupid sharpening his arrow]

Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779). "Amor, seinen goldnen Pfeil scharfnend." [Cupid sharpening his arrow]

From Die Vorzüglichsten Gemälde der Königlichen Galerie in Dresden.  Dresden: Franz Hanfstaengl, 1836.  Large folio.  Lithographs.  Chine appliqué.  Full margins.  Very good condition.

These images, produced by lithography to represent the major paintings at the Royal Gallery in Dresden, are exquisite examples of the fine quality achievable by the lithographic method.  In 1836, lithography was just beginning to be used in the United States, but within the next few decades it would become the method of choice for many print series, such as Currier and Ives and their contemporaries.

These lithographs are much more intricate and sophisticated than those from the same period in the U.S.  The use of chine appliqué also acounts for the delicacy achieved in these images.  The fine Chinese (rice) paper picked up much more of the subtlety of the image from the lithographic stone.  The best stones were fine Bavarian limestone, so the best lithographs of the period were German, due to proximity to the source.