14. Johannes Sadeler I (1550-1600)
after Maerten de Vos (1532-1603)
Annunciation to the Shepherds with a Choir of Angels

(click on image to print)
Sadeler, Annunciation

Annunciation to the Shepherds with a Choir of Angels

Engraving, 1587, 392 x 304 mm., Hollstein 181, TIB 150 only state. Very fine, sharp impression on strong laid paper trimmed just outside the borderline but showing the full text above and below. The work contains the full engraved musical score of a nine-part motet by Andreas Pevernage on the text of the Gloria, each part being held by a different angel. The musical work may actually be performed from this print, which is one of a small group, most by Sadeler, that actually mark the historical beginning of music engraving. The angel in the lower center carries a banderole with the annunciation: “Fear not, I bring you tidings of great joy…” The original design by De Vos is lost and the print itself is quite rare (no impression is recorded at auction in the last 30 years), and particularly so in the almost perfect condition of this impression. It is a superb conception, quite apart from its musical significance, and superbly executed by Sadeler.