Il Libro del Giovane Cacciatore. by Birkner, Wolfgang, 1582- . Casimir, Johann, -1633 - 1639

1639; facsimile reprint Forschungsbibliothek, Gotha [20th century]. Portfolio of 13 color facsimile prints; 35.5 cm x 56.5 cm., reproduced from the copy in the Gotha Forschungsbibliothek. Depicts the hunting prowess of Johann Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg, "renowned particularly for his great bear- and boarhounds, bred to the size of yearling steers. To record his chases, Duke Casimir hired a court painter named Wolfgang Birkner... The original series of watercolors has since disappeared, but after Casimir's death in 1633, Birkner set about doing another hunting book as a memorial... He copied many of his own drawings from the first series... Birkner had none of the great compositional powers of Cranach or Velasquez... but Casimir could not have wished for a more faithful descriptive artist. Birkner spared no blood or gore, and no detail escaped his eye. At the same time, he had a charming ability to enhance the pageantry and develop from the hunt's complicated rituals a sense of overall design and patterning..." (from the unsigned article "Art: Glories of the Hunt" in Time.com). The manuscript text is in German; the printed portfolio cover is in Italian. Very Good+, 13 oblong color prints suitable for framing. Stock#Flat005 / ofc oversize 005.