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RARE SET OF 1541 ENGRAVINGS THAT PIONEERED THE USE OF ANIMALS AND WOMEN TO SYMBOLIZE ALL SEVEN DEADLY SINS. The seven deadly sins have provided creative fodder for a diverse group of artists ranging from Dante's The Divine Comedy to the Hollywood film Seven. A lesser known, but equally significant representation of the seven deadly sins dates back to German engraver Georg Pencz in 1541. Georg Pencz's set of seven engravings that we have on offer is the first known example of animals in the depictions of the sins, and women depicted as sinners. Each engraving has an imaginative illustration and a punchy Latin inscription such as Sloth, "Pigricia Invisa Svm Omnibvs" which translates to "laziness is hated everywhere." Pencz's choice of a religious subject, his use of the classical female form, his meticulous attention to detail, and his dotted shading technique are evident in the intricate details of The Seven Deadly Sins. The most conspicuous feature of Pencz's The Seven Deadly Sins is the near nudity of the figures, hallmarks of Renaissance art. During Pencz's lifetime art was a crucial medium for conveying Christian values to the broader public, many of whom were illiterate. Pencz's technical prowess helped elevate engraving as an art form and this work shaped the representation of the seven deadly sins in both religious and secular art in later periods. Georg Pencz (1500-1550) traveled to Nuremberg in 1523 to study in Albrecht Dürer's painting and engraving studio, he then went to Venice to study engraving at the school of Marcantonio Raimondi, Italy's most renowned engraver, and later that year was admitted into the Nuremberg painters' guild. In 1525 Pencz and artists Hans Sebald Beham and Barthel Beham were exiled from Nuremberg and may have been briefly imprisoned for asserting a disbelief in Baptism and Christ. Together they fled to Italy and became part of the group known as the "Little Masters" because they created tiny, intricate, and influential prints. After a few months in exile, Pencz and the Behams were pardoned and returned to Nuremberg. Georg Pencz became the most important artist in Nuremberg after Dürer's death in 1528. In 1532 Pencz was appointed painter to the Nuremberg city council and in 1540 he became Nuremberg's official city painter. As an engraver, Pencz was considered among the best of the German "Little Masters." In 1550, he was named court painter by Albert, Duke of Prussia, but died en route to his first day of work. Pencz's flawless engraving techniques focused on familiar and often religious subjects meant for mass appeal. He incorporated classical forms derived from Dürer and was inspired by the works of contemporary Italian artists including Raphael and Michelangelo. There are 126 engravings ascribed to Pencz - all except two are miniatures, many demonstrate a masterly modeling of figures, some show off his innovative use of tiny dots to create a lighter shaded area, and all maintain the high standards of the German school of engraving (Prasse). Pencz's representation of the seven deadly sins, which are all signed in the plate with monogram "GP", are as follows: Plate 1 - Engraving that personifies Wrath ("Ira") - A winged woman dressed in a harness with a helmet standing and holding a sword and a torch in her hands. Next to her sits a bear. Inscribed at the bottom: "IRA FVROR BREVIS SVM" (Anger is brief madness) Plate 2 - Engraving that personifies Sloth ("Pignitia Acedia") - A winged woman standing with a donkey next to her. Inscribed at the bottom: "PIGRICIA INVISA SVM OMNIBVS" (Laziness is hated everywhere) Plate 3 - Engraving that personifies Lust ("Luxuria") - A winged woman seen from behind, turning to face the viewer and holding a pierced "wounded" heart and a large arrow with a burning tip. At left a bull on the ground lifts its head and looks at her. Inscribed at the bottom: "EGO VEMIS OMNIA VASTO" (I destroy all things) Plate 4 - Engraving that personifies Gluttony ("Gula") - A woman.
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