Kolbe & Fanning
Auction 159 6 Mar 2021
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John Law Plate from Het Groote Tafereel
Schenk, Leonardus, and Pieter Schenk II. PORTRAIT OF JOHN LAW. Amsterdam, 1720. Single sheet engraving, 34.5 by 22 cm. Captioned: Mre. Jean Law Con.er du Roy en tous ces Con.ils Controleur Gñal des Finances en 1702. Below this, a satirical lyric reads: "Sous l'Auguste et Sage Regence / D'un Prince aimant la bonne foy: / LAW consommé dans l'art de regir la finance / Trouve l'art d'enrichir les Sujets et le Roy." Signed "Leon:Schenk Fecit / Pet:Schenk Exc:Amst:" Taken from Het groote tafereel der dwaasheid (where it is usually Plate 2). Matted to 31 by 20 cm within a 45.5 by 35.5 cm frame. Near fine. The full-length engraved copperplate depiction of John Law from Het groote tafereel der dwaasheid (The Great Mirror of Folly), the famous early 18th-century Dutch satirical work that ridiculed the extravagances and follies of the South Sea Bubble and Law's Mississippi Scheme. The book was initially published in 1720 or shortly thereafter, almost certainly in the Netherlands (as most of it is in Dutch), probably in Amsterdam. The compiler and publishing history of this farcical work remain uncertain and the actual contents of extant copies vary. It is most famous for its engravings, many of which are comical and a number of which are more or less obscenely so. As John Law is the heart of the volume, this is in some ways the most important of the plates, though it is admittedly more straightforward (and straightlaced) in its depiction than others. At the peak of his power, Law controlled the French mints and the bulk of the French economy. His escapades were the subject of a number of rare medals that are avidly sought today (and about which John W. Adams has written an excellent monograph).
Schenk, Leonardus, and Pieter Schenk II. PORTRAIT OF JOHN LAW. Amsterdam, 1720. Single sheet engraving, 34.5 by 22 cm. Captioned: Mre. Jean Law Con.er du Roy en tous ces Con.ils Controleur Gñal des Finances en 1702. Below this, a satirical lyric reads: "Sous l'Auguste et Sage Regence / D'un Prince aimant la bonne foy: / LAW consommé dans l'art de regir la finance / Trouve l'art d'enrichir les Sujets et le Roy." Signed "Leon:Schenk Fecit / Pet:Schenk Exc:Amst:" Taken from Het groote tafereel der dwaasheid (where it is usually Plate 2). Matted to 31 by 20 cm within a 45.5 by 35.5 cm frame. Near fine. The full-length engraved copperplate depiction of John Law from Het groote tafereel der dwaasheid (The Great Mirror of Folly), the famous early 18th-century Dutch satirical work that ridiculed the extravagances and follies of the South Sea Bubble and Law's Mississippi Scheme. The book was initially published in 1720 or shortly thereafter, almost certainly in the Netherlands (as most of it is in Dutch), probably in Amsterdam. The compiler and publishing history of this farcical work remain uncertain and the actual contents of extant copies vary. It is most famous for its engravings, many of which are comical and a number of which are more or less obscenely so. As John Law is the heart of the volume, this is in some ways the most important of the plates, though it is admittedly more straightforward (and straightlaced) in its depiction than others. At the peak of his power, Law controlled the French mints and the bulk of the French economy. His escapades were the subject of a number of rare medals that are avidly sought today (and about which John W. Adams has written an excellent monograph).