BLEKER, Gerrit Claesz. (ca. 1593-1656) :

A Cowherd playing his Horn

Etching. Hollstein 6, first state of two before the address of Kralinge; Ackley (Prints in the Age of Rembrandt) 78
Provenance: Rudolf Peltzer, 1825-1910 (Lugt 2231)

A fine impression trimmed on the platemark all round. In excellent condition.
145 x 215mm.
$5,000

While Bleker showed a predilection for scenes with livestock, Clifford Ackley points out that this print, like certain others in his oeuvre of fourteen plates, may contain an allusion to a biblical story, here possibly that of Jacob and Rachel at the well if the small figures in the background can be so interpreted. His dense hatching makes the foreground highly three-dimensional.