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With this magnificent seventeenth-century engraving, you bring a thrilling moment from Dutch history directly into your home.
Seventeenth-Century Engraving: Battle at the Mookerheide (1574) – Johann Wilhelm Baur
€345,00
Fast shipping
14-day return policy
Imagine: it is April 14, 1574, and the ground beneath the Mookerheide is trembling.
On the left and right, deafening cannon shots tear through the air, while thick black clouds of gunpowder obscure your vision.
The earth is hurled meters into the air by incoming cannonballs, and the frantic neighing of hundreds of charging horses fills the valley.
Amidst this chaos of gleaming armor, billowing dust, and fluttering banners, the brothers of William of Orange are fighting for our freedom.
On the left and right, deafening cannon shots tear through the air, while thick black clouds of gunpowder obscure your vision.
The earth is hurled meters into the air by incoming cannonballs, and the frantic neighing of hundreds of charging horses fills the valley.
Amidst this chaos of gleaming armor, billowing dust, and fluttering banners, the brothers of William of Orange are fighting for our freedom.
With this magnificent seventeenth-century engraving, you bring a thrilling moment from Dutch history directly into your home.
This extremely rare topographical historical print, titled "Pugna Mochensis Ludovico Requesenio Gubernatore", offers a fascinating bird's-eye view of one of the most infamous battles of the Eighty Years' War. It is the battle in which Louis and Henry of Nassau tragically fell.
The composition is breathtaking: in the foreground, the brutal violence of the cavalry units is in full swing, while on the right, the historic village of Mook with its characteristic church tower is clearly visible. In the far upper left corner, the skyline of the city of Nijmegen is subtly depicted. At the top, a large, elegant cartouche with an extensive Latin legend (A-S) accurately explains the tactical positions and key moments on the battlefield to the viewer.
The work was designed and personally etched into the plate by the renowned German Baroque artist Johann Wilhelm Baur (1607–1642). His original master's signature is immortalized in the lower left corner of the printing plate: "Io: Wilhelm Baur. fe:" (fecit / made this). This confirms the absolute authenticity of this early seventeenth-century print.
Unique Condition & Exclusive Framing
This masterpiece on handmade paper is in remarkably good and stable condition. Right in the middle at the bottom (in the foreground of the battlefield) is a small, old tear in the paper. This was expertly and almost invisibly restored in the past, leaving the visual aesthetics and historical value completely intact.
The engraving was framed exceptionally professionally, tightly, and conservatively at the time. A luxurious, deep-dark mat with a fine gold inner border was chosen, enclosed in a heavy, gold-colored wooden Baroque frame. Because this framing is of good quality and perfectly protects the work, we have deliberately left the frame closed. It is a ready-made showpiece for the discerning connoisseur.
Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Artist: Johann Wilhelm Baur (Strasbourg 1607 – Vienna 1642)
- Title of object: Pugna Mochensis Ludovico Requesenio Gubernatore. 1574
- Technique: Etching / Copperplate engraving on handmade paper
- Period: Ca. 1630–1640 (Seventeenth century)
- Dimensions (including frame): 63.5 cm wide x 52 cm high
- Framing: Provided with a luxurious, deep green/anthracite mat with a gold inner border and a high-quality finished, gold-colored wooden Baroque frame.
- Condition: In very good, stable condition. Right in the middle at the bottom (in the foreground of the battlefield) is a small, old tear in the paper. This was expertly and almost invisibly restored/repaired in the past, so that it does not detract from the visual aesthetics or historical value. The frame shows signs of use and damage.
About the artist
The name Johann Wilhelm Baur elevates this engraving to a museum standard. Baur was a legendary German Baroque artist who was trained as a miniaturist. This explains his almost obsessive eye for detail: even the smallest soldier or the most distant house in Nijmegen on this print is rendered with precision.
During his grand tour of Italy, he worked for the highest echelons of the Roman nobility and later as a court artist in Vienna. Baur was known in his time as an eccentric 'blockmaker' and an obsessed genius. Contemporaries wrote that he was so intensely focused while etching that he talked to himself aloud. Because he died at the young age of 34, his surviving oeuvre is small and his original prints are extremely rare on the current art market.
Can the engraving be removed from the frame?
Yes, we can arrange this for you upon request. However, we advise against it: the work was so expertly and dust-free framed in the past that opening the back would be a waste of the current, optimal protection.
Yes, we can arrange this for you upon request. However, we advise against it: the work was so expertly and dust-free framed in the past that opening the back would be a waste of the current, optimal protection.
What makes this particular print of the Mookerheide so valuable to collectors?
Historical prints by Johann Wilhelm Baur are rare because he was known for his unique, extremely detailed bird's-eye views. In addition, the Battle of the Mookerheide is one of the most iconic and dramatic key moments of the Eighty Years' War. The combination of this sought-after German master, the beloved Dutch theme (including the topography of Nijmegen and Mook) and the valuable, ready-to-hang Baroque frame
Historical prints by Johann Wilhelm Baur are rare because he was known for his unique, extremely detailed bird's-eye views. In addition, the Battle of the Mookerheide is one of the most iconic and dramatic key moments of the Eighty Years' War. The combination of this sought-after German master, the beloved Dutch theme (including the topography of Nijmegen and Mook) and the valuable, ready-to-hang Baroque frame
How do you guarantee safe delivery?
We have experience with shipping antique art and glassware. The engraving is packed in multiple layers of thick bubble wrap and shipped in sturdy cardboard.
We have experience with shipping antique art and glassware. The engraving is packed in multiple layers of thick bubble wrap and shipped in sturdy cardboard.