Arthur Illies (Hamburg 1870 - 1952 Lüneburg)
cover illustration for the second portfolio of prints published by the Hamburgischer Kuenstlerclub [Hamburg Artists Club]
1898
color zincograph (also known as a zinc etching)
sheet approx. 28,5 x 20,4 cm
monogrammed in the plate lower left
The Daulton Collection
The illustration consists of the club's emblem, surrounded by Jugendstil curvilinear ornamentation, accompanied by the inscription "Hamburgischer / Kuenstler / Club 1898 / Selbstverlag" [Self-Published].
The portfolio contains 5 lithographs (1 in color) and 1 color zincograph.
"This second (and final) portfolio produced by the 'Hamburgischer Künstlerklub' (Hamburg Artists' Club) was issued in a very small edition, as the first portfolio, released in 1897, had met with only limited commercial success. The sale of graphic art portfolios proved challenging during the turn-of-the-century period, as buyers of works by contemporary Hamburg painters were primarily interested in pictures intended for wall display; the dedicated collector of graphic art—comparable to the collectors of Old Masters—did not yet exist." Joachim Lührs
["Diese zweite (und letzte) Mappe des Hamburgischen Künstlerklubs erschien in einer sehr kleinen Auflage, da die erste Mappe 1897 nur einen geringen Verkaufserfolg gehabt hatte. Der Verkauf von Graphikmappen gestaltete sich in der Zeit um die Jahrhundertwende schwierig, weil die Käufer zeitgenössicher Hamburger Maler an Bildern für die Wand interessiert waren und es den Grafiksammler, wie für die Altmeister, noch nicht gab." Joachim Lührs
portfolio table of contents:
