MIGNON, Jean (active 1537-1540 in Fontainebleau, later in Paris):

An ornamental Term in the form of a Sphinx with a Crescent Moon on her head , from a series of twenty

Etching, c.1543-44. Bartsch Zerner J.M. 16, first state of two; Jenkins 16, first state of two before number 8

A fine, early impression, still with polish marks visible (several scratches are found in the earliest impressions), with rectangular margins around the oval plate. A repaired upper right corner, also skinned centre top, not affecting the recto, a few very minor spots in the margins, generally in excellent condition.
Oval 230 x 140mm.
$8,500

Some of the designs of these grotesque terms, whose authorship is as yet unknown, influenced a number of other engravers just prior to this set, notably Agostino Veneziano (dated 1536), Cornelis Bos, and Bonasone. Bartsch assumed that Veneziano had drawn them from the antique. Luca Penni is behind most of the ornamental elements that form the elaborate frames in many of Mignon’s etchings.
Extremely rare, Jenkins found just five in museum collections.