Virgil Solis, book illustrations [part IV]
The range and versatility of Solis's graphic work was initially investigated by Ilse O'Dell, and her publication of 1977 lays the foundation for the present catalogue. Not all the collections listed in O'Dell , such as Copenhagen and Florence, were visited by the present author, but other collections not recorded in O'Dell, such as the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Amsterdam, Coburg and Wolfegg, are included here.
The most notable aspect of Solis' work is his skilful absorption and re-interpretation of other artist's styles, particularly Albrecht Darer, Peter Fltner, Sebald Beham and many others of French and Italian origin.
This was not done out of a lack of creativity on the part of Solis, but was a decision made with a commercial advantage in mind. The presence of the VS monogram does not indicate necessarily that Solis created a particular print, merely that it emanated from his large and successful workshop, in which at least one of his own sons worked. There is accordingly, a wide range of styles visible in his oeuvre; on some occasions it is possible to identify who in the Solis workshop may have executed a print, but this is not always the case.
After Solis' death, his workshop was inherited by Balthasar Jenichen, who married his widow. Around fifty percent of the single-sheet prints recorded here were designed for ornament, and were utilised as models by a large numbers of artists and craftsmen working in a variety of media; some examples are illustrated in the Introduction.
Book illustrations, Part IV: Years 1574-1598
Published in 2006
Compiler: Dieter Beaujean
Editor: Giulia Bartrum
ISBN: 978-90-77551-50-9
238 pp.