Ten prints depicting scenes from the folk tale of The Wandering Jew. Hand-colored (by stencil). Epinal, Wissembourg, Metz, 19th century. French (one in German).
The tale of the Wandering Jew – a Jewish carpenter who was condemned to eternal wanderings after humiliating Jesus – first became common in the Middle Ages and gained popularity in France after the Revolution, in part due to the development of the art of the print. Before us are French prints depicting the Wandering Jew. A rhyming folk song (called 'Complainte' in French – "Lamentation"), describing his journeys and encounters and referring to his alleged appearance in Brussels in 1774, is printed on the margins of most of the prints. One of the prints also includes the song's musical notes.
Most of the prints were made at the Imagerie d'Épinal French printing house, including a print by François Georgin, presumably from 1826. Some of the unique features of this print became common afterwards, including the Jew's fur hat and his position in the center of the picture, and it was published in many versions over the years. One of the prints was published by Gangel in Metz; another print was published by C. Burckardt in Wissembourg.
Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition. Mounted on heavy paper (some matted). Blemishes, creases, stains and tears to margins (tears to one print reinforced with tape). Open tears to edges of one print. Damp damage to margins of some prints (mainly to mounts, slightly affecting some of the prints). One leaf trimmed on edge of illustration (missing the text).