- 558
Rare Taufschein for Elisabeth Eyster Probably York County, Pennsylvania, circa 1780
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- TAUFSCHEIN FOR ELISABETH EYSTER
- Watercolor and ink on paper
- 8 3/4 by 6 3/4 in.
- C. 1780
Watercolor and ink on paper
Inscribed (translated from German) recto, ink: Elisabeth was born in / the year of Christ 1776, the 25th February in the Sign of /— Baptized by Pastor — / Sponsors were Peter Spiess and Magdalena Eysterin, single / Elisabeth was born in the province of Pennsylvania / in York County in Manchester Township The father / is named Georg Eyster, the mother Eysterin, born Altlandin. Today, you are pulled, tender soul / from sin's dark hole, brought / by baptism out thereof / Stay henceforth with all the upright so that you will / receive the crown with which God / adorns his own.
Inscribed (translated from German) recto, ink: Elisabeth was born in / the year of Christ 1776, the 25th February in the Sign of /— Baptized by Pastor — / Sponsors were Peter Spiess and Magdalena Eysterin, single / Elisabeth was born in the province of Pennsylvania / in York County in Manchester Township The father / is named Georg Eyster, the mother Eysterin, born Altlandin. Today, you are pulled, tender soul / from sin's dark hole, brought / by baptism out thereof / Stay henceforth with all the upright so that you will / receive the crown with which God / adorns his own.
Provenance
Descended in family to Kleinfelter family, York, Pennsylvania
Joe Kindig Jr., York, Pennsylvania, 1970
Joe Kindig Jr., York, Pennsylvania, 1970
Exhibited
"Life in the New World: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Museum of American Folk Art," Sotheby's New York, 1987
"American Radiance: Highlights of the Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum," de Menil Gallery at Groton School, Groton, Massachusetts, October 15-December 15, 2002
"American Radiance: Highlights of the Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum," de Menil Gallery at Groton School, Groton, Massachusetts, October 15-December 15, 2002
Literature
Bishop, Robert. Folk Painters of America. New York: E.E Dutton, 1979, pl. 36
Weiser, Frederick S. "Piety and Protocol in Folk Art: Pennsylvania German Fraktur Birth and Baptismal Certificares," in Ian M.G. Quimby, ed., Winterthur Portfolio 8, Charlottesville, Virginia: Univ. Press of Virginia in association with Winterthur, 1973, p. 37
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 489, fig. 207
Weiser, Frederick S. "Piety and Protocol in Folk Art: Pennsylvania German Fraktur Birth and Baptismal Certificares," in Ian M.G. Quimby, ed., Winterthur Portfolio 8, Charlottesville, Virginia: Univ. Press of Virginia in association with Winterthur, 1973, p. 37
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 489, fig. 207
Condition
More minor repaired edge tears and discoloration at horizontal mid-point; overall condition very good.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The Taufschein for Elisabeth Eyster bears telltale marks indicating that the artist prepared some forms in advance and filled in details in the recipient's home. Spaces for the name of the clergyman and the sign of the zodiac—important because the Pennsylvania Germans used a lunar zodiac system with twenty-four-hour periods—remain blank, and some data is cramped. The image contains a city profile of houses and public buildings apparently built of stone with red-tile roofs. The doggered amounts to the affirmation that baptism promises salvation and the admonition that one must be conscious of and faithful to its gift. -F.S.W.